How does one have two first names. The first name is first and the second name is, well, s-e-c-o-n-d. Will this notary job ever stop amazing me??
Today I had a signing where the principal signer’s name was (made up to protect the innocent) Kumar Singh Lnu. Now, you might wonder, how one pronounces “Lnu”. That’s, by the way, how the note, trust deed and other various documents INCLUDING the Sig/Name Affidavit showed his name: Kumar Singh Lnu. So I asked how to pronounce it and the signer says, “That’s not my name. My last name is Singh. Lnu is in error.” I said, “What do you mean. . . the deed reads Kumar Singh Lnu as do other documents we’re signing.” He says, “Nope Lnu is NOT my name. In fact, it means Last Name Unknown. Why did they use that as my last name??” I said, “You mean they don’t know your last name?” He says, “I don’t know.”
LNU means Last name Unknown according to the permanent resident card issued by (presumably) U.S. Immigration that he showed me. Are y’all still with me?
Naturally, I could not notarize his name with Lnu at the backend of his true last name, Singh. Are you kidding me?! Someone actually put LNU on the documents after his real last name?!?! I almost notarized it, for goodness sakes. Gee whiz. What a day
Oh wow, that is something else, glad you caught it in time. I don’t know if any notary would notarize that phrase. Sounds like he needs some additional legal guidance
I just came across 3 Geraldine’s in a closing. Mother and 2 daughters. Was told grandmother had also been named Geraldine. Don’t ask…I haven’t got a clue.
We’re all familiar with double first names that are short, such as Billy Bob or Peggy Sue. The US State Department has a manual about names on passports. It has this to say about long names that need to be truncated.
a. Occasionally, an applicant may have multiple, legal first and middle names and/or last names listed on the evidence of citizenship/nationality and/or identification, that are too long to be printed on the passport data page and/or passport card (see 8 FAM 706.1 regarding specific character limitations for the passport card). The passport book is limited based on width, rather than a number of characters, but roughly 40 characters are available.
USCIS also has a manual chapter, “Verification of Identity”, that describes various recognized naming conventions. It recognizes that some foreign naming conventions have multiple first names, multiple middle names, and multiple last names.
The US and the various states don’t have any organized laws about names. It’s one law for a driver license in Vermont, another law for a birth certificate in California. There is also no requirement for a person born outside the US but doing something in the US to adjust their name to follow US customs. There are no rules, just customs that people follow if they feel like it.
How is it on her DL/ID? That’s what you go with. If 2 first names and then a middle and last on her ID, and docs wrong, then yes, should be reprinted. If her DL/ID show it as first and middle, well, she accepted it and now owns it, you can’t change it.
Wrong just on IRS? What do her tax papers read….she can take that up later….
Yeah and the thing about it her two first names are quite long, it won’t all go in the box
