<p>I have such a difficult foreign name to pronounce and spell. I've hated it all my life, and since I turn 18 soon, I was hoping to change my legal name. I want to move my current first name to my middle and then have an English first name. Trust me, there is no flattering nickname that I can derive from my first name that I could go by. Some people will object and some will say it's fine, but what are your opinions? I don't know if I'll grow out of my dislike for my name when I'm older, so I'm trying to think this through, and would like some other thoughts.</p>
<p>Also, does anyone know how long the process of legally changing you name takes? I have about 3.5 months until I head off to college.</p>
<p>Name change law varies drastically from state to state. In some states it is just a form, in others, one appears in front of a judge to justify it, and in HI one would need to petition the Lt. Gov. in order to get a name change.
I would keep your name, principally because there is nothing preventing you from going about your life under a random name. You could start calling yourself Jim (or some such) and that would be perfectly legal. There are only a few situations in which a person is obligated to use their real name. So why bother changing it? </p>
<p>I found this when I considered adding a legal alias to my ID (long story), it may be helpful</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.uclalawreview.org/pdf/57-1-7.pdf[/url]”>http://www.uclalawreview.org/pdf/57-1-7.pdf</a></p>
<p>Keep in mind, changing your name leads to much future hassle</p>