Full name at birth question

[andrews49]

If you change your birth certificate (after you're done legally changing your name) and if you come across documents that say "full name at birth" and stuff can you put your chosen name? Or do you have to put your birth name that your parents gave you even if your certificate is changed with the name you want?

Sorry if it's worded confusedly.

[Adam (birkin)]

Depends...I had to put "previous names" for a background check, since I'm working with vulnerable populations. In a case like that you'd legally have to.

[LordKAT]

Full name at birth means full name as it appears on your birth certificate.

[andrews49]

Depends...I had to put "previous names" for a background check, since I'm working with vulnerable populations. In a case like that you'd legally have to.

Yeah that's what I was afraid of if I could get in trouble with the law and stuff if I said that was my name at birth. Like if they could find out about my previous name.

[tgchar21]

It's a bit ambiguous, and I even had a lengthy PM discussion with LordKAT about it a year or so ago (the issue was a transperson's child's birth certificate), and at least for that purpose it's like what he said - the name as it appears on your most recently issued birth certificate (whether or not the changes are visible or the old name is still shown). If you're not sure it's best to ask - you don't even need to out yourself, just ask what you should put down if you had a name change that amended your BC. Often times what they want if they ask for your name at birth is like your maiden name - what your name would be without any changes due to marriage or other domestic partnerships (since otherwise the mother and father would often have the same last name shown, asking for the name without any changes from marriage provides more identifying information, and the name may change again if divorced or widowed in the future  - which is not a factor with names changed for other reasons that are not likely to "flip-flop").

Background checks don't care what your name was when you were born (e.g. if you were adopted before you were old enough to possibly have a record then they usually don't need your name prior to the adoption), but they do care about any names or aliases that your records may be under. In a case like yours (assuming you didn't transition pre-adulthood) your pre-transition name would be treated in the same way as a previous married name or an alias you gave to the police - does not count for purposes like those in the above paragraph (when asked for "birth name" or "name at birth"), does count for a background check (you don't need to mention that it was your name at birth if they ask specifically for that, but you probably need to mention it as another name you've used). If it's a situation where you prefer not to out yourself (like in front of those deciding whether or not to hire you) you have a couple of options that don't involve lying: You can put down that you'll release the information straight to the investigator or the investigating agency (there was an MTF on here that once did that when applying for a security clearance); or if it's a casual background check (e.g. a low or medium security job) and you don't have ANY record under your former name you can also try putting down something along the lines of "none that any records would appear under" (in typical cases an employer needs to know only those names records they want to check appear under - you can thank immigrants who changed their names to assimilate for that precedent) and if they don't ask any further you're off the hook.

[andrews49]

Thank you guys so much for the information. I think I understand it more now.

[Natalie]

In the State of Washington they do not amend a birth certificate, they destroy it and replace it with a new original that has your legal name on it so when asked to state your birth name it's the one on your current birth certificate. I do not list previous names unless required to do so by statute and if there is no law that requires it I don't do it. I did not list previous names when I had a background check working on a research project in the state prisons here and it never caused any issues. I have, with the aid of an attorney on some issues, changed every single piece of identifying information linking me to a previous name all the way back to elementary school and every single place of employment all the way back to my very first job. However, those previous names are still available and liniked through NCIC and other databases such as the Department of licensing, IRS, Social Security Administration, FBI, Employment Security Department, ect.

[tgchar21]

In the State of Washington they do not amend a birth certificate, they destroy it and replace it with a new original that has your legal name on it so when asked to state your birth name it's the one on your current birth certificate. I do not list previous names unless required to do so by statute and if there is no law that requires it I don't do it. I did not list previous names when I had a background check working on a research project in the state prisons here and it never caused any issues. I have, with the aid of an attorney on some issues, changed every single piece of identifying information linking me to a previous name all the way back to elementary school and every single place of employment all the way back to my very first job. However, those previous names are still available and liniked through NCIC and other databases such as the Department of licensing, IRS, Social Security Administration, FBI, Employment Security Department, ect.

The main thing you have to be careful with background checks is if you have ANY crime (even a minor offense - we once had a transman on here whose ability to be stealth here was spoiled for that reason) under your old name and the check doesn't show the offense because you omitted the name you can get into serious trouble.

Re: Destroying and re-issuing instead of "amending" a birth certificate - That's done in some states in cases like gender transitions for our benefit and convenience, but both have the same legal weight for issues like those I described in the last post (e.g. what name would go on a future child's BC).

[Natalie]

My child's birth certificate has the mother and father listed as "Parent's Name" instead of giving a gender marker.

Parent's Name: My name is here

Parent's Name: The other parent's name is here

[VictorMike]

Has anyone had any luck getting a new birth certificate in the state of texas?  Any help will be appreciated.