legal name
Name on passport
A legal name is the name that appears on official documents—birth certificates, passports, driver's licenses—and carries weight in legal proceedings and formal transactions.
It's the name you sign on contracts and tax returns, as distinguished from nicknames, stage names, or names used informally: Her legal name is Elizabeth, but everyone calls her Betsy.
Official record of arrival
- surnameHereditary family identifier
- patronymicName from father's name
- matronymicName from mother's name
- signatureHandwritten name for verification
fingerprint · photograph · biometrics · identity verification · alias · pseudonym · nickname · moniker
Government-issued travel credential
- driver's licenseOfficial driving permit
- social security cardDocument proving benefit eligibility
- marriage certificateLegal proof of wedlock
- divorce decreeCourt document ending marriage
adoption papers · naturalization certificate · court order · tax returns · bank statement · national ID · visa · green card
Formal written appeal
- court orderBinding judicial directive
- publicationIssued written material
- hearingPerceiving sound waves
- filingStoring documents systematically
registration · amendment · correction · updating · notification · transition · reversion · restoration
birth certificate
Official record of arrival
- surnameHereditary family identifier
- patronymicName from father's name
- matronymicName from mother's name
signature · fingerprint · photograph · biometrics · identity verification · alias · pseudonym · nickname · moniker
passport
Government-issued travel credential
- driver's licenseOfficial driving permit
- social security cardDocument proving benefit eligibility
- marriage certificateLegal proof of wedlock
divorce decree · adoption papers · naturalization certificate · court order · tax returns · bank statement · national ID · visa · green card · registration
petition
Formal written appeal
- court orderBinding judicial directive
- publicationIssued written material
- hearingPerceiving sound waves
filing · registration · amendment · correction · updating · notification · transition · reversion · restoration · legitimization
- identifiersidentifier, title, rank, license, permit
- identityidentity, personal identity, self, selfhood, self-expression
- namesgiven names, first names, names, surnames, last names
- surnamesSmith, Johnson, Williams, Brown, Jones
- name changescourt order, surname change, court filing, court approval, judicial decree
- incorporationarticles of incorporation, incorporator, incorporation, incorporators, registered agent
legal namealias
Adopted false name
pseudonym · assumed name · pen name · stage name · nom de plume
legal namealias
Adopted false name
cover name · assumed identity · incognito · anonymity · pseudonym
name, legal, illegal, legalize, legally, legality, illegality, illegalize, illegalization