Name Change
57 articles
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Alabama Name Change Laws: Probate Court Process and Fees
How adults and minors legally change their name in Alabama, from probate court petitions to sex offender restrictions and publication rules.
Alaska Name Change Laws: Court Process, Fees, and Forms
How to legally change your name in Alaska, including the $200 filing fee, minor consent forms, and why publication only applies after divorce.
Arizona Name Change Laws: Court Process, Fees, and Restrictions
How adults and minors change their name in Arizona, county filing fees from about $188 to $301, and why there is no publication requirement.
Arkansas Name Change Laws: The 2023 Redaction Reform and How to Petition
How to change your name in Arkansas after the 2023 law required a verified petition and redacted court file, plus fees, minors, and restrictions.
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California Name Change Laws: Court Process, Fees, and the New Confidentiality Option
California's name-change process under CCP Section 1276-1279.6, the new HSC 103437 confidentiality track, fees, marriage-based changes, and SOR rules.
Colorado Name Change Laws: Fingerprints, Felony Bar, and How to Petition
Colorado's name-change process under C.R.S. 13-15-101, the mandatory fingerprint check, the felony bar, and DV publication exemptions explained.
Connecticut Name Change Laws: Two Courts, One Possibly Free Option
Connecticut lets you choose Superior Court or Probate Court for a name change, with probate fees reportedly eliminated in 2023. Rules explained.
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DC Name Change Laws: The $60 Process and No Publication Since 2013
How to legally change your name in DC Superior Court, the flat $60 fee, no newspaper notice since 2013, and how minors and divorce fit in.
Delaware Name Change Laws: No More Publication, Which Court to File In
Delaware repealed newspaper publication for name changes in 2022. Learn which court to use, the $85 fee, minor rules, and DOC restrictions.
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Florida Name Change Laws: How to Legally Change Your Name
How to change your name in Florida: the circuit court petition under Fla. Stat. §68.07, fees, the fingerprint background check, and divorce restoration.
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Georgia Name Change Laws: How to Legally Change Your Name
How to change your name in Georgia: the superior court petition, publication requirements, fraud restrictions, and how divorce name restoration works.
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Hawaii Name Change Laws: How to Legally Change Your Name
Hawaii routes most adult name changes through the Lieutenant Governor's office, not court. Here is how the administrative process, fees, and restrictions work.
How Much Does It Cost to Change Your Name?
Name change costs by state: court filing fees, publication, fingerprinting, and certified copies, plus the free paths through marriage and divorce.
How to Legally Change Your Name
How to legally change your name: the petition, background check, and notice steps most states share, where they diverge, and what happens after the order.
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Idaho Name Change Laws: How to Legally Change Your Name
How to change your name in Idaho: the district court petition under Idaho Code §7-802, the $166 fee, publication, and the sex-offender registry restriction.
Illinois Name Change Laws: How to Legally Change Your Name
Illinois eliminated newspaper publication for name changes in 2025. Here is the current circuit court process, residency rule, fees, and offender restrictions.
Indiana Name Change Laws: How to Legally Change Your Name
How to change your name in Indiana: the court petition, the combined publication and criminal-history notice requirements, and offender restrictions.
Iowa Name Change Laws: How to Legally Change Your Name
How to change your name in Iowa: the district court petition under Iowa Code Chapter 674, the no-court marriage-based path, and the one-change limit.
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Kansas Name Change Laws: How to Legally Change Your Name
How to change your name in Kansas: the district court petition under K.S.A. 60-1402, the 60-day residency rule, and how divorce name changes work.
Kentucky Name Change Laws: How to Petition the District Court
Kentucky adults change their name by petitioning their county District Court. No publication, no background check, and a simple decree process.
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Louisiana Name Change Laws: The District Attorney's Role in Your Petition
Louisiana name-change petitions must be served on the parish district attorney, a step no other state requires. Here is how the process works.
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Maine Name Change Laws: Background Check Instead of Publication
Maine's Probate Court bars public notice of a name-change petition and instead runs a mandatory criminal-history check. Here is how it works.
Maryland Name Change Laws: Rule 15-901 and the Circuit Court Petition
Maryland name changes go through Circuit Court under Maryland Rule 15-901, with a separate, simpler path to restore a name after divorce.
Massachusetts Name Change Laws: Petitions Are Now Impounded by Default
As of November 25, 2025, Massachusetts name-change petitions are sealed by default and public notice is no longer required. Current law explained.
Michigan Name Change Laws: Criminal-History Disclosure, Fees, and the MCL 711.1 Process
Michigan name-change law does not require fingerprinting. Petitioners disclose criminal history; courts may run a discretionary LEIN/ICHAT check.
Minnesota Name Change Laws: The Two-Witness Process Instead of Publication
Minnesota skips newspaper publication and instead requires an in-person appearance with two witnesses who can verify your identity. How it works.
Mississippi Name Change Laws: Chancery Court and What Remains Unresolved
Mississippi's name-change statute sits behind a subscription code service. Here is what is confirmed about the chancery court process, and what is not.
Missouri Name Change Laws: How to Legally Change Your Name
How to legally change your name in Missouri: circuit court petition, no statewide fee, the Rule 95 minor process, and the sex offender restriction.
Montana Name Change Laws: How to Legally Change Your Name
How to change your name in Montana: district court petition, the $90 filing fee, 4-week publication rule, and the divorce and marriage rules.
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Name Change After Divorce
Restoring a former name after divorce: the three ways states handle it, what to do if your decree is silent, and updating your documents afterward.
Name Change After Marriage
Changing your name after marriage: which states let the marriage certificate do it, what it can and cannot change, and the SSA-DMV-passport update order.
Name Change Checklist: Social Security, License, Passport & More
Name change checklist: the order to update Social Security, your license, and your passport, plus IRS, voting, USPS, and what does not need updating.
Name Change Laws by State: Court Process, Publication, and Restrictions
Compare name change laws for all 50 states and DC: where to file, publication rules, fees, and sex-offender/felony restrictions, current as of August 2026.
Nebraska Name Change Laws: How to Legally Change Your Name
How to change your name in Nebraska: district court petition, 1-year residency, 2-week publication, and the age-19 notice rule explained.
Nevada Name Change Laws: How to Legally Change Your Name
Nevada name change basics from the courts' self-help pages: district court petition, one-time publication, felony disclosure, county-set fees.
New Hampshire Name Change Laws: How to Legally Change Your Name
New Hampshire name changes go through probate court with no default publication, but a stricter track applies to certain petitioners.
New Jersey Name Change Laws: How to Legally Change Your Name
New Jersey name changes cost a flat $250 in Superior Court, need no newspaper publication, and are excluded from public access under a 2021 order.
New Mexico Name Change Laws: How to Legally Change Your Name
New Mexico repealed its publication requirement in 2023, but some official guides still say to publish. See the current process and $132 fee.
New York Name Change Laws: How to Legally Change Your Name
New York eliminated newspaper publication in 2021. See the current Civil Rights Law process, court sealing, and codified marriage and divorce rules.
North Carolina Name Change Laws: Process, Forms, and the New 2025 Publication Repeal
North Carolina name changes go through the clerk of court, not a judge. Publication was repealed December 2025. Here is the current process, fee, and rules.
North Dakota Name Change Laws: Court Process, Fees, and Publication Rules
North Dakota name changes go through district court and still require newspaper publication. The filing fee rose to $160 in 2025. Here is the current process.
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Ohio Name Change Laws: Probate Court Process and the Two Parallel Tracks
Ohio runs two name-change tracks through probate court: a standard change of name and a separate track to conform your legal name. Here is how each works.
Oklahoma Name Change Laws: Court Process, Marriage-License Option, and the Sex Offender Bar
Oklahoma name changes go through district court and require published notice. Marriage-based changes are codified too. Here is the current process and rules.
Oregon Name Change Laws: No Publication, a Flat $124 Fee, and No Criminal Bar
Oregon name changes need no publication and no in-person hearing in most cases. The flat fee is $124. Here is the current process under ORS chapter 33.
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Pennsylvania Name Change Laws: Fingerprinting, Dual Publication, and the Offense Bar
Pennsylvania name changes require fingerprinting, a state police background check, and publication in two newspapers. Here is the full process and cost.
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Rhode Island Name Change Laws: No Publication and a Probate Court Petition
Rhode Island name changes go through your local probate court, and the law bars public notice or publication entirely. Here is the current process.
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South Carolina Name Change Laws: Family Court, SLED Checks, and the DSS Package
South Carolina name changes go through Family Court and require SLED and DSS background screenings. Here is the current process, fee, and exemptions.
South Dakota Name Change Laws: How to Legally Change Your Name
How to legally change your name in South Dakota: the circuit court petition under SDCL ch. 21-37, the four-week publication rule, and marriage-license changes.
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Tennessee Name Change Laws: How to Legally Change Your Name
How to legally change your name in Tennessee under TCA 29-8-101, and the state's permanent bar for murder and sex-offender convictions.
Texas Name Change Laws: How to Legally Change Your Name
How to legally change your name in Texas under Family Code ch. 45: the fingerprint-card rule, felony/sex-offender restrictions, and divorce name restoration.
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Utah Name Change Laws: How to Legally Change Your Name
How to legally change your name in Utah: the district court petition, the one-year residency rule, and the state's split criminal-history restrictions.
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Vermont Name Change Laws: How to Legally Change Your Name
How to legally change your name in Vermont: the Probate Division instrument process under 15 V.S.A. 811, and the mandatory Sex Offender Registry check.
Virginia Name Change Laws: How to Legally Change Your Name
How to legally change your name in Virginia under Va. Code 8.01-217: the circuit court petition, felony and sex-offender disclosure, and divorce restoration.
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Washington Name Change Laws: How to Legally Change Your Name
How to legally change your name in Washington under RCW 4.24.130: the district court petition, when a file is actually sealed, and divorce name restoration.
West Virginia Name Change Laws: How to Legally Change Your Name
How to legally change your name in West Virginia under W. Va. Code ch. 48, Article 25: the felony/sex-offender bar and the mandatory publication requirement.
Wisconsin Name Change Laws: How to Legally Change Your Name
How to legally change your name in Wisconsin under ch. 786: the confidential-petition option and the state's outright ban on sex-offender name changes.
Wyoming Name Change Laws: How to Legally Change Your Name
How to legally change your name in Wyoming under Title 1, ch. 25: the district court petition, mandatory publication, and no felony restriction at all.