Emerson's Name Change process allows you to use your preferred name instead of your legal first name across most campus systems. When you set a preferred name, it will appear in place of your legal first name in email, Canvas, Zoom, and many other services.
Your legal name will still be used where legally required or necessary for business purposes, including transcripts, insurance claims, medical records, immigration documents, tax forms, and loan documents. We continue our work to ensure as many systems as possible can accommodate your preferred name.
Important
Changing your preferred name will make changes across Emerson's systems: your email address and login name will automatically change to preferredname.lastname@emerson.edu, and your old email address will be stored as an alias. You will not lose any messages sent to your previous address. Optional nicknames are not recommended.
Changes may take up to 24 hours to fully propagate across all campus systems.
For more information on navigating name changes at Emerson College, visit Changing Your Personal Information.
Students
Students update their preferred name through Banner Self-Service, accessed from the myEmerson portal. Student employees should follow these student instructions rather than the staff/faculty process below.
- Go to my.emerson.edu and log in with your Emerson credentials and Duo.
- In the Services section on the right side of the page, click Self Service.
- On the Personal Information page, click Edit in the top right corner of the Personal Details section.
- In the Edit Personal Details dialog, locate the Preferred First Name field and enter your preferred name.
- You can also update your Personal Pronoun and Gender Identification from this same dialog if you wish.
- Click Update to save your changes.
Once submitted, your preferred name will begin replacing your legal first name across campus systems. Your username, display name, and email address will all update. Your previous email address will remain active as an alias, so you will continue to receive any messages sent to your old address.
Last name changes
Changing your last name is not available through Self-Service. To update your legal name on file with the college, you must provide documentation (such as a court order, marriage certificate, social security card, passport, or driver's license) to the Registrar's Office. For details, visit Changing Your Personal Information.
Staff and Faculty
Staff and faculty update their preferred name through Workday.
- Go to workday.emerson.edu and log in with your Emerson email address and Duo.
- In the search bar, type preferred name and select the Change My Preferred Name task from the results.
- Uncheck the Use Legal Name As Preferred Name checkbox. This will make the name fields editable.
- Update the First Name field to your preferred name. You may also update Prefix, Middle Name, and Suffix if needed.
- Click Submit.
Once submitted, your preferred name will begin replacing your legal first name across campus systems. Your username, display name, and email address will all update. Your previous email address will remain active as an alias, so you will continue to receive any messages sent to your old address.
Last name changes
Changing your last name through Workday requires approval from Human Resources. Please contact HR to initiate a legal name change.
Additional Resources
- Changing Your Personal Information
- Name Update Considerations for Students
- Name Standards for International Students
Have any questions?
Contact the Help Desk at (617)-824-8080 or submit a ticket.