GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 1
SENATE BILL 476
Short Title: Allow Widow/Widower To Hyphenate Name. (Public)
Sponsors: Senator Murdock (Primary Sponsor).
Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate
March 25, 2025
*S476 -v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO ALLOW A WIDOW OR WIDOWER TO HY PHENATE PRE-MARRIAGE AND 2
MARRIED SURNAMES. 3
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 4
SECTION 1. G.S. 101-8 reads as rewritten: 5
"ยง 101-8. Resumption of name by widow or widower. 6
A person at any time after the person is widowed may, upon application to the clerk of court 7
of the county in which the person resides setting forth the person's intention to do so, resume the 8
use of her maiden name or the name of a prior deceased husband or of a previously divorced 9
husband in the case of a widow, or his premarriage surname in the case of a widower. change the 10
person's name to his or her (i) pre-marriage surname, (ii) pre-marriage surname joined by a 11
hyphen to the surname of the last spouse of the person, or (iii) the surname of a previously 12
deceased or divorced spouse. The application shall set forth the full name of the last spouse of 13
the applicant, shall include a copy of the spouse's death certificate, and shall be signed by the 14
applicant in the applicant's full name. If the applicant seeks a name change to the surname of a 15
previously divorced spouse who is still living, the applicant shall include an affidavit signed by 16
the previously divorced spouse consenting to the applicant's name change. The clerks of court of 17
the several counties of this State shall record and index such applications in the manner required 18
by the Administrative Office of the Courts." 19
SECTION 2. This act is effective when it becomes law. 20