The Name Path
For newlyweds · The Arizona Edition

Your new name, in the right order

A calm, beautifully made guide to changing your name after the wedding: every step, every office, every official link.

See the Arizona Edition Can I do Social Security online?
Watercolor of wild horses galloping across the Sonoran desert toward the Superstition Mountains at sunset, saguaros in the distance.

Our promise

Changing your name touches a dozen offices, and each one wants to see the last one's work first. The Name Path lays it out gently, step by step, for your state, with every fact traced to the agency that published it.

  • The right order
  • Every fact traced to an official source
  • No forms filled for you
How it works

Three quiet steps

  1. Watercolor of the Grand Canyon at golden hour
    One

    Answer a few gentle questions

    Where you married, which ID you hold, whether you travel. Your plan keeps only the steps that apply to you, and your answers stay on your device.

  2. Watercolor of Havasu Falls spilling over turquoise terraces
    Two

    Follow the guide, in order

    Social Security first, then MVD, then your passport, then everything else. Each step says what to bring, what it costs and where the official page is.

  3. Watercolor of a Sedona red rock spire above Oak Creek
    Three

    Check it off, calmly

    Writable checklists and a document tracker keep every certified copy accounted for, and "If you get stuck" boxes cover the common hurdles.

What's inside

Real pages from the Arizona Edition

33 illustrated pages of soft Arizona watercolors on linen, with clear type and room to write.

Cover of The Name Path Arizona name-change guide: a soft painting of a couple on horseback at dusk below the Superstition Mountains, with saguaros and an adobe, under a pink and lavender sky.
The coverPage 1. The Arizona Edition: two riders at dusk below the Superstition Mountains.
Guide page for Step 2, Social Security: the three marriage-certificate paths and SSA's online criteria.
Step 2 · Social SecurityPage 5. Online or office: the three paths, explained.
Guide page 'Everything-else checklist': a Money group of rows with item names, a done checkbox and ruled columns for date and notes.
The Everything-else checklistPage 15. About 100 easy-to-forget accounts in seven groups, each with blank rows.
Guide page 'Common questions' with questions such as 'Do I have to change my name?' and 'Is there a deadline?'.
Common questionsPage 28. Honest answers, each traced to a source.
Everything in the Arizona Edition
Free · works for every state

Can I change my name with Social Security online?

Some newlyweds can now finish their Social Security name change without an office visit. It depends on where your marriage certificate came from, which license or ID you hold, and a few other criteria.

This checker applies SSA's published rules (POMS RM 10205.630 and EM 26004), the same logic as the plan in our guide app. It runs in your browser and sends nothing anywhere. It's an independent tool, not an SSA service, and SSA's own application makes the final call.

Watercolor of a mare, a palomino and a foal grazing beneath a mesquite tree

The state or country that issued it, which may not be where you live now.

Is it a driver's license or an ID card?
Which of these are true for you?

Check all that apply. SSA's fully online path asks for all of them.

Our standard

Every fact checked against official sources. Official sources re-checked every week.

  • Straight from the agency

    Every rule, fee and deadline comes from the agency that sets it: SSA, ADOT/MVD, the State Department, the IRS, TSA, the Arizona Secretary of State and county clerks.

  • Logged, with dates

    The Arizona Edition's verification log lists 65 facts, each with its official source and the date we checked it. Anything we couldn't confirm is left out or marked as general guidance.

  • Re-checked every week

    A scheduled source monitor re-checks the official pages in the log each Monday and flags any change for review. The first scheduled weekly check runs Monday, October 26, 2026. The dates shown are the dates each fact was last checked. If an agency's page and the guide ever disagree, the agency wins.

Three lines from the real verification log
Fact in the guideOfficial sourceChecked
Applying for a Social Security card is freessa.gov/forms/ss-5.pdfOctober 19, 2026
Wait two business days after SSA before visiting MVDazdot.gov/mvd/services/driver-license-I…October 19, 2026
A Travel ID arrives by mail in up to 2 weeksazdot.gov/mvd/services/driver-services/…October 20, 2026
Pricing

One guide, one simple price

You never need to pay anyone to change your name. What the guide offers is the order, the plain English and the checklists.

The Arizona Edition

Your whole name change, in one calm guide

$27

14-day refund, no questions asked · One-time payment, no subscription

  • 33-page illustrated guide, as a screen PDF and a print-friendly PDF
  • Your personal plan and tracker app: only your steps, with check-offs, reminders and logs. Installable, works offline, stays on your device
  • The right order, with what to bring, what it costs and the official link for every step
  • "If you get stuck" boxes and 13 common questions, each traced to an official source
  • Writable checklists, a document tracker, logs for mail, calls and logins, and notes pages
  • Links to every official blank form. We never fill one out for you

Changing your name with Social Security is free. You can apply directly with the Social Security Administration at ssa.gov or by calling 1-800-772-1213. You don't need to buy this guide, or anything else, to do it.

An independent, informational guide. Not legal advice, and not affiliated with any government agency. Terms · Privacy

Coming soon. Checkout opens shortly. Questions? hello@thenamepath.com

Free for everyone

Start without paying anything

  • Social Security online checker: works for every state
  • Every government step is free or charges only the agency's own fee. You never need a paid service to change your name

The plan and tracker app comes with the Arizona Edition.

Editions

One guide for each state

Each state has its own motor vehicle rules, county records and voter law, so each edition is written and checked for that state alone.

  • First edition · sales open soon

    Arizona

    The first edition: Social Security, Arizona MVD and Travel ID, passport, voter registration and everything after.

    See the Arizona Edition →
  • Coming soon

    California

    A California edition is in preparation. Until then, the free Social Security checker works for California too.

  • Coming soon

    Texas

    A Texas edition is in preparation. Until then, the free Social Security checker works for Texas too.

Honest answers

Questions

Do I have to pay anyone to change my name?

No. Every government step is free or charges only the agency's own fee, and you can do all of it yourself from official websites. Changing your name with Social Security costs nothing. What the guide offers is the organization: the right order, plain-English steps for your state, and checklists to keep track.

Is this legal advice? Are you part of the government?

No, and no. The Name Path is an independent, informational guide. It isn't a law firm or a legal document preparer, and it isn't affiliated with or endorsed by any government agency. The guide explains how the official process generally works; it doesn't advise you on your particular legal situation. If your situation is unusual, check with the agency or a qualified professional.

Do you fill out forms for me?

No. The guide explains each step and links to the official blank forms and pages. You fill them out yourself, directly with the agency.

How do you keep the facts accurate?

Every fact is checked against the official page that states it and logged with that page's address and the date we checked it (65 facts in the Arizona log so far). A scheduled source monitor re-checks those official pages every Monday and flags any change for review. The first scheduled weekly check runs Monday, October 26, 2026. If something we couldn't confirm is useful anyway, it's clearly marked as general guidance. And if an agency's page ever disagrees with the guide, the agency wins.

What's in the Arizona Edition?

33 illustrated pages: the sequence at a glance, seven steps (certified copies, Social Security, Arizona MVD and Travel ID, passport, voter registration, money and work, everything else), an "If you get stuck" box for each agency, 13 common questions, writable checklists, a document tracker, logs for mail, calls and logins, notes pages, every official blank form, and every source with its check date. It also comes with your personal plan and tracker app.

Where does the plan and tracker app keep my answers?

Only on your device, in your browser's own storage. Nothing is sent to a server, and the site uses no cookies, analytics or ad trackers. You can export a backup file, import it on another device, or erase everything with one button. The app is included with the Arizona Edition. See the privacy policy.

What if the guide isn't right for me?

Email us within 14 days of your purchase for a full refund, no questions asked. See the refund policy.

My situation is unusual. Will the guide still help?

It's written for the common case and flags where things differ: a marriage abroad, not being a U.S. citizen, or changing a first or middle name. In those cases it points you to the agency to confirm before you rely on any step.

I don't live in Arizona.

Arizona is the first edition; California and Texas are being prepared. The free Social Security checker works for every state, because it uses SSA's national rules.