MY LAWYER IN ITALY® clients often come across changed names in their Italian descendant’s immigration records. Though this was a common occurrence, this can cause anxiety and concern for those applying for dual Italian citizenship.
As experts in the area, we always overcome this issue – no matter the US state or Italian comune in question, the reason for, or the number of discrepancies.
Why were names changed so often, and by whom?
It is fascinating, for both legal and historical reasons, to know more. MY LAWYER IN ITALY® recently partnered with a Nebraska-based law firm to research the practice of personal name changes in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
As The Legend of Ellis Island explains, ‘people working at inspection stations at Ellis Island – being unfamiliar with different cultures and nationalities – tended to make changes to the names and details of some of the immigrants… Also, many immigrants changed their names themselves to what they imagined were American sounding names’.
Italian arrivals were one of the demographic groups with the most changed names. The name transformations were subtle, such as the first name “Antonio” being Anglicised to “Tony”, rather than being changed completely. From our clients’ experience, we see that the majority of last name discrepancies from that period arise from misspellings. More recent name changes occur due to marriage or divorce.
What is surprising today, in an age with advanced identity and immigration methods and controls, is the ease with which an immigrant’s name could be changed – by them or by someone else. As long as the name change was ‘completed in good faith’ (i.e. not for fraudulent or criminal purposes), it will not deprive that individual – and vitally, their descendants – of their rights.
Will name changes or discrepancies affect my dual Italian citizenship case?
This unique study is now another ace in the hole. MY LAWYER IN ITALY® will use it to explain to Italian judges how and why name changes happened and were tolerated in the past, and in some cases, still happen today. We are proud to collaborate with other law firms and invest in US legal research: to bring Italy and the US closer together, and make the citizenship application process run smoothly and successfully for our clients.
Read more articles on our website:
- Italian Dual Citizenship: do I have to speak Italian to apply?
- The Minor Case: which Italian Dual Citizenship petitions are getting rejected?
- Italian American Dual Citizenship: most common problems and how to overcome them