Share your newlywed status on every platform. We have included third party products to help you navigate and enjoy life’s biggest moments. Purchases made through links on this page may earn us a commission. Tying the knot comes with a lot of exciting changes, including, for many, a new surname. Can’t wait to share your married moniker with the world? Get instant gratification online. Below, we’ve explained how to update your name on four popular email and social media platforms from your computer. (Please note that the steps may vary slightly across different devices, app versions and so on.) In fact, we’ve got instructions for display name and username changes—for the latter, we recommend claiming your handle(s) ASAP before someone else does. As you’ll soon see, changing your last name online is surprisingly easy. What’s harder is changing your last name legally. Our best tip? Work with HitchSwitch, a service that fills out the paperwork for you—and trust us, there’s a lot of it. Depending on your package, you may even get your own Name Change Concierge, who can guide you through the process. (Bonus: Name Change Concierges have various instruction sheets on hand for clients—they even have them for email and social media name changes.)
How to Change Your Name on Facebook
Whether you want to change what name appears on your Facebook profile or you’re hoping to change the username in the URL that leads to it, here’s what to do.
To change your Facebook display name:
- Go to «settings.»
- Click «edit» beside «name.»
- Make your changes in the «first,» «middle» and «last» fields.
- Click «review change.»
- Review your changes in the «preview your new name» window. Under «choose how your name will appear on your profile,» select from the available options.
- Enter your password in the «password» field.
- Click «save changes.»
To change your Facebook username:
- Go to «settings.»
- Click «edit» beside «username.»
- Enter your new username in the «username» field.
- Click «save changes.»
To add another name to your Facebook profile:
- Go to your «about» section.
- Click «details about you.»
- Click «add a nickname, a birth name…» under «other names.»
- Choose a label for the name from the «name type» dropdown menu. (Options include «maiden name,» «married name» and «former name» among others.)
- Enter the name in the «name» field.
- Check «show at top of profile» if desired.
- Click «save changes.»
How to Change Your Gmail Name
When it comes to your Gmail, you have two main options: Keep the email address but change the name associated with it, or create a new email address and connect it to your old one.
To change your Google Account name:
- Go to «Google account.»
- Click «personal info.»
- Click «name.»
- Click the edit button.
- Make your changes in the «first name» and «last name» fields in the «change name» window.
- Click «done.»
To link your new Gmail account to an old email address:
- Go to «settings.»
- Click «accounts and import.»
- Click «add a mail account.»
- Complete/check all required/desired fields in the «add a mail account window.»
- Click «add account.»
How to Change Your Twitter Name
Change your Twitter display name and username (handle) in just a few simple steps. Note that as with all email addresses/usernames, it may take multiple tries before you find a new one that’s available.
To change your Twitter display name:
- Go to your profile.
- Click «edit profile.»
- Change your name in the field above your Twitter username.
To change your Twitter username:
- Go to «settings and privacy.»
- Click «account.»
- Change your handle in the «username» field.
- Click «save changes.»
How to Change Your Instagram Name
Instagram lets you change your name and handle in one fell swoop—score.
To change your Instagram display name and username:
- Go to your profile.
- Click «edit profile.»
- Edit the «name» and/or «username» fields.
- Click «submit.»
How to Change Your Name on Other Email and Social Media Platforms
Don’t see the platform you’re looking for here? Follow these general tips. Remember, services like HitchSwitch can also help you out.
Normally, you have two options: change your email name (the display name associated with your account) or change your email address (which is sometimes your username). You can usually tackle the former by navigating your service provider’s settings. For the latter, you’ll likely have to create a new email then forward your old email to it. Go to help pages or customer service representatives with questions.
Social Media
Again, you typically have two options. The first is to change your display name. The second is to change your username/handle. Play with each account’s settings. If you can’t figure them out, check the platform’s FAQ page or reach out to its customer service team.
Final Tips
Don’t forget the following final steps, especially if you’re changing an email address, username or handle:
- Write down your updated information somewhere just in case—you don’t want to get locked out of an account because you can’t remember your new login.
- While changing Instagram and Twitter handles shouldn’t affect things like your followers or posts, it can affect smaller profile details, like what you’re tagged in. On Twitter, for example, @s to your old username won’t transfer to your new username. In turn, you may want to create a new account to claim your previous handle. That way, you’ll still have access to old tags, plus you can post a message there linking to your new handle.
- If you’re a verified user on a social media platform, consider reaching out to its support team to make sure changes won’t impact your status.
- Publicize your new information so people search for the right account when they’re trying to find you online.
Now that you’ve shared your new last name with your contacts, friends and followers, it’s time to make sure everyone else knows it—from your doctors to government officials. Trust us, you don’t want to leave anybody out. (Lost mail and invalid documents? No thanks.) Editor’s note: This post was updated in April, 2016. Check out the current version: Maiden to Married: A Channel-by-Channel Guide to Changing Your Name on Social Media. On July 21, 2012, I married my best friend. And, while life on the home front has been pure newlywed bliss, marriage comes with its own set of hurdles in the online world. Take, for example, this conversation I had with the hubby prior to the nuptials:
- Me: How much are you against me keeping my maiden name?
- Hubby: Why would you want to do that?
- Me: If I change it, I don’t know what to do with my Twitter handle!
Maybe I’m a bit extreme, but changing my name online scared me—especially since I’d been building my online brand under my maiden name. I was stepping into uncharted territory as Mrs. Tracy Lewis (instead of Ms. Tracy DiMarino). I found myself asking: How do you change your name online seamlessly, while preserving the brand you’ve created around your maiden name? Well, this post has the answers. In it, I provide a step-by-step process for changing your name on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and Pinterest, based on my own experiences.
After logging in, click on “account settings” in the upper right-hand corner, and then “edit” next to the name field. Update your last name and username (which changes your Facebook profile’s URL). If you would like to still be found in search for your maiden name, enter it into the alternate name field. Save your changes. Note: It’s may be good to put your maiden name on your profile for starters (even if you don’t want it there permanently) to help your friends get accustomed to the change. Example set up: How changes look on profile: Note: While an exact number is not provided, Facebook does limit the number of times you can change your name. Oh, and while you’re in there editing, be sure to make it Facebook-official and update your relationship status to “married.”
To change your display name (the real name associated with your account), simply click on “profile” in the “settings” section, and update. Your actual Twitter username is a bit trickier. In updating your username, you can retain all your followers, tweets, lists, etc. However, you lose your original URL and username completely. In fact, your username becomes available for someone else to acquire immediately after you drop it. If you have a large online presence, this could be a problem. In my case, @TracyDiMarino has been linked to in numerous blog posts, guest posts and even mentioned in Paul Roetzer’s The Marketing Agency Blueprint. In changing my username, I essentially lose all the SEO and branding power associated with these mentions. To minimize the impact of this, I:
- Sent out a warning tweet to my followers that I was about to update my Twitter handle.
- Changed my username under “account” in the “settings” section, releasing my old username.
- Created a second Twitter account to re-claim my original username. (And had a minor panic attack in the interim.)
- Sent a tweet from my original handle, explaining that I changed my username and encouraging people to follow me at @Tracy_J_Lewis. Included a similar message in the profile bio. Note: This way, if someone lands on my old account, they’ll still be able to find me. It also gives me access to @messages and DMs to my old username in case people don’t realize the transition right away.
- Updated as many of the old links and references to my Twitter handle as possible.
In the «settings» section, click on “edit your name, location and industry.” Update the last name and maiden name fields. By including your maiden name, you still show up in LinkedIn searches for it. Example set up: Note: Unfortunately, public profiles do not display the maiden name field, so you may not appear if someone searches on Google, Bing or other search engines. For this reason, I kept my maiden name in my public profile URL to help with search rankings. To update your public profile URL, click on “edit profile” on the profile tab in the main navigation, and then “edit” next to the public profile field. Change your URL as relevant. Here’s how my profile now looks to LinkedIn users:
Google+
On the “view profile” screen, select “edit profile.” Click on the name field, and then “more options.” Update your last name. If you would like your maiden name displayed on your profile and to appear in searches, list it in the nickname field. Select how you would like your name displayed on your profile, and hit “save.” This is what the updates will look like: Note: Google+ limits name changes to three times every two years.
Select “settings” in the right-hand corner. Then, in the profile section, update your last name and username. Hit «save.»
Tips For Social Newlyweds
In going through the name-change experience, here are some other pointers:
- Don’t forget about changing your name on email accounts, email signatures, and other web pages where your name is listed. (For instance, I had to update my PR 20/20 bio page.) Tip: Do a quick search in Google for your maiden name to make sure you don’t miss any main mentions or accounts.
- If possible, keep your maiden name associated with accounts and content for search purposes—at least until your new name catches on. For example, I changed my blog bios to Tracy (DiMarino) Lewis, since I’m better known by my maiden name.
- If you change any URLs, be sure to update them across the web. For example, I changed my LinkedIn public profile URL, which was linked to from my Twitter page and the PR 20/20 site, among other places. I also had to update my email signature. Most social sites do not put redirects in place for you, so you’ll need to manually change links.
- Don’t change your avatar (profile picture) at the same time you change your name. Your name and avatar are the two most recognizable aspects of your social profiles. Updating both at the same time makes it harder for people (particularly social acquaintances) to make the connection that you’re still the same person.
- When it makes sense, warn your network that a name change is about to take place. For example, I sent out a tweet before I switched my Twitter handle as a heads up.
- Lastly, don’t marry someone with a common last name. Okay, so this is a joke (sort of). In all seriousness though, if your new last name is common, be sure to reserve usernames as soon as possible, as they go quick. In many cases, I found that my preferred names and URLs had already been taken.
Advice for the Blushing Bride
Have you recently been married? How did you handle the whole online name change? I’d love to hear your tips and experiences. Or, if you just want to share with me marriage advice, honeymoon stories or whatever else married people talk about, I’ll take that as well! 
Comments are yours.