Georgia Name Change Laws: How to Legally Change Your Name

Georgia handles adult and minor name changes together in one superior court petition, with a newspaper publication requirement that runs four consecutive weeks unless a judge waives it. A separate restriction bars using a name change to defraud someone of a legal right, and divorce name restoration is handled through a different statute entirely, one that lives in Georgia's divorce title rather than the general name-change chapter.

The controlling provisions are O.C.G.A. § 19-12-1, which sets out the petition, publication, service, and waiting-period requirements, § 19-12-3, which covers the certificate of name change a clerk issues after the final order, and § 19-5-16, which governs restoration of a maiden or prior name through a divorce decree. Forms are not standardized statewide and are supplied by each county's superior court clerk.

Information last verified on 2026-08-11. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

How to Legally Change Your Name in Georgia

An adult files a name-change petition in superior court, in the county of residence. The petition must set out fully and particularly the reasons the change is requested, and it must be verified by the petitioner. Georgia does not maintain a statewide standard form. Georgia's official consumer page states that petition, verification, and notice forms may vary by county and are provided by the clerk's office of the superior court where the petition is filed.

Filing costs, unlike forms, are set by statewide statute. O.C.G.A. § 15-6-77(e)(2) fixes the total sum for all services rendered by the superior court clerk through entry of judgment in civil cases at $58.00, and § 15-6-77(e)(1) defines "civil cases" to include domestic relations actions. O.C.G.A. § 15-21A-6 then adds a separate $15.00 filing fee that the statute expressly applies to "applications for change of name." Section 19-12-1(i) points the clerk back to the § 15-6-77 schedule for service in name-change cases, and § 19-12-3(a) sets the fee for the certificate of name change by reference to § 15-6-77(g)(4).

Those statutory sums are the base, not the whole bill. Counties collect statutorily authorized add-on amounts on top of them, the newspaper bills its publication charge separately, and the General Assembly revises the schedule periodically, so confirm the current total with your county clerk's office before filing. A petitioner who cannot pay because of indigence may file an affidavit to that effect instead of the § 15-6-77(e)(2) sum.

The court cannot hear an adult petition until 30 days have passed from the date the petition was filed.

Changing a Minor's Name in Georgia

A minor's petition requires the written consent of the minor's living, non-abandoning parent or parents. Where both parents are deceased or have abandoned the child, the guardian's written consent applies instead.

Written consent is not the only parent-facing requirement. Under O.C.G.A. § 19-12-1(f), the child's parent or parents must also be served with a copy of the petition. Service is made in person if the parent resides in Georgia, by certified mail or statutory overnight delivery if the parent resides outside Georgia and the address is known, and by publication if the address is unknown. Subsection (g) requires the same service on other individuals the child resides with.

Those service dates control the timing of the hearing. Under § 19-12-1(h), the court cannot hear the petition until 30 days have run from service on an in-state parent or guardian, or 60 days from service where an out-of-state parent or guardian was served by mail.

Restoring a Former Name After Divorce

Georgia handles divorce name restoration through a distinct statute in the divorce title rather than the general name-change chapter. Under O.C.G.A. § 19-5-16, a party who wants a maiden or prior name restored must pray for that restoration in the divorce pleadings; if a divorce is granted, the judgment or decree specifies and restores the name so prayed for. This is a separate track from the general superior court name-change petition described above, with no separate filing required.

Publication Requirements

Georgia requires notice of the petition to be published once a week for four consecutive weeks in the legal organ of the county where the petition is filed, and § 19-12-1(d) requires the petitioner to start that publication within seven days of filing. The notice must name the petitioner, the person whose name is to be changed if different, the new name desired, the court, the filing date, and the right of any interested or affected party to appear and object. The clerk's own notice form comes first where your county provides one; if you type the notice yourself from that list, PDFelement is paid software that can convert a Word draft of it to PDF and edit the text.

A court may waive that publication requirement, and file the case under seal, where it finds the petitioner is a victim of family violence or human trafficking. That combination, a publication waiver paired with a sealed file, is a meaningful protective option worth raising with the court for petitioners at risk.

Restrictions on Name Changes

Georgia law bars using a name change to fraudulently deprive another person of a legal right. This guide could not confirm, from the sources reviewed, whether Georgia imposes a separate criminal-history or sex-offender-registry restriction the way several neighboring states do; anyone with a criminal-history or registration concern should raise it directly with the superior court clerk or an attorney before filing.

Marriage-Based Name Changes in Georgia

Georgia has no statute dedicated to granting a name change based on marriage. A spouse who wants to adopt a new name at marriage does so by custom, using the marriage certificate to update records with agencies like the Social Security Administration and the DMV rather than filing a court petition. See name change after marriage for the federal-level steps involved.

Related Georgia Records

For the marriage certificate or divorce decree that documents a Georgia name change, see Georgia marriage and divorce records. For how Georgia's court system handles case filings generally, see Georgia court records. For the broader dissolution process a divorce-based name restoration is part of, see Georgia divorce laws. For the full agency-by-agency update checklist once a name change is granted, see the name change checklist.

Disclaimer

This article provides general information about Georgia name-change law. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Statutory fee amounts are revised periodically, so verify current fees, forms, and requirements with your county superior court clerk or a licensed Georgia attorney before relying on anything here for a specific situation.

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Last updated: 2026-08-11. Fees and forms reflect their published status as of August 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to change your name in Georgia?

Georgia sets the base cost by statute rather than leaving it to each county. O.C.G.A. § 15-6-77(e)(2) fixes the clerk's total sum for services through entry of judgment in civil cases at $58.00, and § 15-21A-6 adds a $15.00 filing fee that expressly covers applications for change of name. Counties collect statutorily authorized add-on amounts on top, and the newspaper bills the publication notice separately, so confirm the current total with your county's superior court clerk before filing. A petitioner who cannot pay because of indigence may file an affidavit instead.

Does Georgia require publication for a name change?

Yes, notice must be published once weekly for four consecutive weeks in the county's legal organ, starting within seven days of filing, unless the court waives publication and seals the case for a family-violence or human-trafficking victim.

How long does a Georgia name change take?

O.C.G.A. § 19-12-1(h) bars the court from hearing the petition until a waiting period expires: 30 days from filing for an adult, 30 days from the date of service on an in-state parent or guardian in a child's case, or 60 days from service where an out-of-state parent or guardian was served by mail. The four weeks of publication run alongside that period, and court scheduling adds more time.

Do both parents have to be notified for a minor's name change in Georgia?

Yes. Beyond the written parental consent filed with the petition, O.C.G.A. § 19-12-1(f) requires that the child's parents be served with a copy of the petition: in person if they reside in Georgia, by certified mail or statutory overnight delivery if they reside out of state and the address is known, or by publication if the address is unknown. Subsection (g) requires the same service on other individuals the child resides with.

How do I get my maiden name back after a Georgia divorce?

Request the restoration in your divorce pleadings under O.C.G.A. § 19-5-16. If a divorce is granted, the court specifies and restores the name in the final divorce decree, separate from the general superior court name-change petition process.

Do I need a court order to change my name after marriage in Georgia?

No. Georgia has no dedicated marriage-based name-change statute. Spouses who adopt a new name at marriage do so by custom, using a marriage certificate to update Social Security and DMV records.

Can a Georgia court deny a name-change petition?

Georgia law bars using a name change to fraudulently deprive another person of a legal right, which a court can rely on to deny a petition filed for that purpose.