Entering Your Name

To start your will with WillMaker, you’ll enter your name as you want it to appear in your will. This might be straightforward, but it’s not clear in every situation. Here’s a little more information that should answer any questions.

Your Name

Your name is needed here to identify you and all the property you own. Enter your first and last names. Enter a middle name or initial if you use one. Use the same form of your name that you use on other formal documents, such as your driver's license or bank accounts. This may or may not be the name that appears on your birth certificate.

Additional Names and Nicknames

You can leave a note about any other names you use in your Letter to Survivors. Here are a couple of examples:

• Although I am currently known by most people as "Buddy" Hamilton, I've had several names throughout my life. I was born Theodore Charles Hamilton, and during my childhood, I often went as Teddy. Then in college, I started going by Charles Hamilton because I thought it sounded distinguished. And I've continued to use that name as my "official" name for most of my life--so that is the name I've used for my will.
• I've mostly gone by the name Juanita Ana Gonzales, but occasionally I've used my mother's maiden name as my middle name: Juanita Flores Gonzalez.

If You Share Your Name with Someone Else

In your WillMaker will, every name you enter must be unique. In other words, no two people in your will can have the same name. If you have the same name as another person you intend to mention in your will, you need to find a way to make each name distinct. This is for practical and legal purposes -- in your will, you don't want any confusion about who is who or who gets what.

The easiest way to make names unique is to use a middle name, but if that does not work for your situation, you can use Jr/Sr, Roman numerals, or nicknames. Here are some examples.

• John Adams & John Quincy Adams
• George H.W. Bush & George W. Bush
• John F. Kennedy & John F. Kennedy Jr.
• Cuba Gooding Sr & Cuba Gooding Jr
• Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr. & Marshall Bruce Mathers, III
• Thurston Howell, II & Thurston Howell, III
• Ramon Estavez a.k.a Martin Sheen & Ramon Estavez a.k.a Ramon Sheen
• Harry Crosby & Harry Crosby a.k.a Bing Crosby
• Lloyd Bridges & Lloyd Bridges a.k.a Beau Bridges

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Reminder: This will is valid only in the United States. WillMaker produces valid wills in all of the United States except for Louisiana—and the program guides you by showing you screens geared specifically to the state of residence you indicate when using it. Because the property and probate laws in Puerto Rico and Guam, for example, may differ from a state you have selected to use in making your will, we do not guarantee that our will is valid there. However, some users who reside outside the United States do use our will to help draft their wills and then have them looked over by an experienced local professional.