The problem to solve is: how to show a foreign official why someone born Jane Collins and who married John Doe can be called Jane Doe on her passport, when there has been no court order for a name change and the marriage certificate only has the same name as Jane's birth certificate.
The US Department of State accepts US state drivers licenses as the primary identification when applying for a US passport: US State Department website , also see form DS-11 under "PROOF OF IDENTITY". Official URL for form DS-11.
So a drivers license is one of the acceptable forms of identification for a US passport.
One example of state requirements for a name change is visible on the state of Kentucky's drivers license website. That page makes clear that in order to get a drivers license in a name other than the birth certificate, the citizen must show a Social Security card issued in the new name.
> ## What do I need to apply for a Driver's License? > * Kentucky state law requires an application for a Driver's License to contain the following: > * Applicant's full legal name. > * Applicant's date of birth. > * Applicant's Social Security number (SSN). > * (1) Proof of the applicant's Kentucky residency. > * For full legal name and date of birth: Birth Certificate. > * For Social Security number: Social Security card. > > … > > ## Requirements for Social Security number and Birth Certificate Verification > * The name listed on your Driver's License should be your legal name. If not, you will need to take a copy of your birth certificate or a legal bridging document showing your name change to any Driver Licensing Regional Office to correct your Driver's License information. > * If your Social Security card does not contain your legal name, you will need to go to your local Social Security Administration field office to update your information in the Federal Social Security Administration database **before** updating your credential.
So the Social Security card must be updated with the name that appears on a drivers license as a prerequisite to the issuance of the drivers license. The issuance of the Social Security card is governed by US federal law and rules.