Massachusetts General Laws
Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 208, § 23 (2026)
Resumption of former name by woman
✓ current as of July 2026
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Section 23. The court granting a divorce may allow a woman to resume her maiden name or that of a former husband.
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 3
cases, 1926–2018 · leading case: Sec'y of the Commonwealth v. City Clerk of Lowell, 366 N.E.2d 717 (Mass. 1977).
Sec'y of the Commonwealth v. City Clerk of Lowell, 366 N.E.2d 717 (Mass. 1977). “" See G.L.c. 208, § 23, as appearing in St. 1973, c.”
Bacon v. Boston Elevated Ry. Co., 152 N.E. 35 (Mass. 1926). “Bacon; that when she applied for registration of the automobile in 1923 she did so in a name that was not hers; that she paid an income tax in the name of Alice W.”
In re Riley, 103 N.E.3d 767 (Mass. App. Ct. 2018). “869, § 2 ("Each party to a marriage may adopt any surname, including but not limited to the present or birth-given surname of either party, may retain or resume use of a present or birth-given surname, or may adopt any hyphenated combination thereof"); G. L. c. 208, § 23, as…”
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