At UMBC, we use two name types, Primary Name and Chosen Name:
Primary Name
The name that is captured when you enter the university and a record is created. The Primary name is often loosely referred to by staff as the official name or legal name; this practice is not endorsed because it implies that the name has been verified.
Chosen Name
The name identified by a person as the name by which they’d like to be referred within the UMBC community. This was previously referred to as Preferred Name.
These name types refer to names used in community facing administrative and reporting systems*. Chosen Name will be the default name displayed. Primary Name will be used if Chosen Name does not exist. In the case of a legal document, Primary Name will be used. Note: Some systems/subsystems will not use a label to define the name type; therefore, if a Chosen Name exists, and it’s not being used in a legal document/form, the Chosen Name should be displayed.
More information on how to add or update a chosen name can be found HERE.
Requests to update a primary name should be submitted using the Personal Information Update Form.
*Community facing systems include non-legal forms and documents, directories, class and grade rosters, reports, myUMBC, advising center and other advising tools, and third party systems.