My question involves name change laws in the State of: Missouri / Massachusetts / Vermont / Federal
I'm a US citizen who was born in Missouri and grew up in Texas. The name on my Missouri birth certificate is (as an example) Jonathan Anthony Doe. After graduating from university, I moved to Europe where I became a Swedish citizen, but keeping my US citizenship. I changed my name upon Swedish naturalization to (as an example) John Edward Smith. So, it's somewhat an entirely different name, but my new last name is similar to my mom's original maiden name.
The proof of the recorded name change is from the Swedish Tax Agency in both Swedish and English. With this letter, I was able to get my US passport changed abroad to my new name: "John Edward Smith" without any problems.
I've been offered two jobs now, one in Vermont and one in Massachusetts. But I don't know what to do about my name change, which wasn't undertaken in the US, and I think, is not recognized by the Social Security Administration or the IRS.
I guess my questions are as follows:
- Can I legally use my new name in Massachusetts or Vermont right off the bat? Is it illegal to do so, or do I need to change it at the very beginning?
- Can I just use my official Swedish Tax Agency document with the IRS & SSA to get them to update my name, or do they require a US Courts document?
- I'm unsure where to make the change, if I have to do so through the local courts. Do I do it in Missouri (where I was born), Texas (where I last lived in the US) or Massachusetts/Vermont (where I will henceforth reside)?
- Do I have to be resident in any of these states to make these changes? If not, I think my employment might be delayed by at least a month or more, because I'll need to sort out the names and social security numbers before I start filling out W2 forms.
Thanks in advance.

