How to Address a Divorcee?
You state Mrs. Jane Doe is the traditional form for a divorced woman. A divorcee (how rarely we use that now!) is most formally Mrs. [Maiden Surname] [Married Surname]: Upon her divorce from the governor, Mary Todhunter Clark Rockefeller became Mrs. Clark Rockefeller unless and until she remarried. — TMM Dear TMM: How we create names is the domain of etiquette … and by definition etiquette is specific to a group, varies from group to group, and changes over time. Flags and precedence at the White House are fixed by protocol: names are a bit of a free-for-all where everyone invents as they think is appropriate. When I see the form you suggest, my reaction is that is logical and must have been / must be the tradition within a group. But, I have not encountered anyone using the Mrs. (Maiden Surname) (Married Surname) form. Then again, I am not hanging out with the Rockefellers. In my book, while most if covers officials form, I have a chapter on Social Forms of Address, and I include a
