Hawaii Name Change Laws: How to Legally Change Your Name

Hawaii is different from every other state on this topic in one basic way: most adult name changes are not a court case at all. They are an administrative application decided by order of the Lieutenant Governor's office, filed online, with no hearing and no judge involved.

That administrative route is open to Hawaii residents only. The Lieutenant Governor's Name Change Guide states that only Hawaii residents are eligible for a name change granted by that office, and directs active-duty military personnel to apply using a physical Hawaii address.

Hawaii's family courts handle a narrower set of routes under HRS §574-5(a)(2): a name change included in an adoption decree, restoring a pre-marriage name in a divorce decree, changing a minor child's name in a divorce, and a single-parent petition for a minor when the other parent cannot be located or notified. Separately, a sex-offender or violent-offender registrant needs a court finding before the Lieutenant Governor's office will act. Everyone else, including a routine adult name change with no divorce or registration history, files through the state's online eHawaii portal instead of a courthouse.

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

Hawaii's Administrative Name Change Process

Under HRS §574-5, an adult applies to the Office of the Lieutenant Governor rather than filing a court petition. The application is a notarized petition submitted through the state's online eHawaii Name Change Application system; no separate numbered paper form exists outside that portal. If approved, the Lieutenant Governor issues an order granting the change.

Eligibility is limited by residency. The Lieutenant Governor's Name Change Guide states that only Hawaii residents are eligible for a name change granted by that office. Active-duty military personnel are told to submit the application using a physical Hawaii address, though a PO box may be used for the self-addressed stamped envelopes.

The fees add up well beyond the filing fee, and this is where budgeting for a Hawaii name change usually goes wrong. The Lieutenant Governor's office charges $56 per petition, broken out as a $50 filing fee (the figure set in HRS §574-5(c)), a $1 archive fee, and a $5 service fee, all non-refundable. On top of that, the office's own guide lists a publication fee starting at $204.19, paid to the newspaper that runs the notice, and a $41 registration fee to record the resulting order with the Bureau of Conveyances. A straightforward name change therefore starts near $301 rather than the roughly $100 the filing and recording fees alone suggest. Because this is a statewide administrative filing rather than a court case tied to a county, there is no local venue requirement the way there is in most other states.

Changing a Minor's Name in Hawaii

For the Lieutenant Governor route, a minor's petition is executed by both parents together, by the custodial parent with the noncustodial parent's notarized consent, or by the minor's guardian.

That leaves the common problem of a parent who cannot get the other parent's consent, and HRS §574-5(a)(2)(C) answers it. One parent may initiate a family court proceeding to change the name of a legitimate or legitimated minor. On proof that the initiating parent has made all reasonable efforts to locate and notify the other parent but has not been able to locate, notify, or elicit a response, and after an appropriate hearing, the family court may order a change of name it determines to be in the minor's best interests. The statute also lets the family court waive the notice requirement to the noninitiating, noncustodial parent where the court finds the waiver necessary for the protection of the minor.

A minor's name can also be changed by the family court inside two other proceedings: as part of an adoption decree under HRS §574-5(a)(2)(A), and as part of a divorce decree under HRS §574-5(a)(2)(B)(ii), where the court may change the name of a minor child of one or more of the parties if it determines the change is in the child's best interest.

Restoring a Former Name After Divorce

Divorce is the most common adult scenario in Hawaii that goes through a court rather than the Lieutenant Governor's office. When either party in a divorce proceeding requests resuming a middle or last name used before the marriage or civil union, or a name declared and used during a prior marriage or civil union, the family court includes that name change directly in the divorce decree. No separate Lieutenant Governor application is needed, and the Lieutenant Governor's office says outright that a name change is not necessary where a divorce decree already stipulates resumption of a previous name.

Publication Requirement

Notice of a Lieutenant-Governor-approved name change must be published once in a newspaper of general circulation in Hawaii. Within 60 days of the notice being signed, the applicant must file an affidavit from an officer of the publishing newspaper proving publication actually occurred, with a clipping of the published notice attached. Failing to deposit that affidavit voids the petition.

HRS §574-5(e) provides a safety exception that is broader than publication alone. When the petition is accompanied by an affidavit from a Hawaii prosecuting attorney showing that it is needed for the applicant's protection, two steps become unnecessary: publication in a newspaper of general circulation, and recordation in the Bureau of Conveyances. The petition, affidavit, and order are then kept confidential. For an applicant with a domestic-violence or stalking concern, that matters twice over, because it removes both the public notice and the public land-records entry that would otherwise carry the new name.

Sex Offender and Violent Offender Restrictions

A person required to register under HRS §846E-2 as a covered sex offender or violent offender may not obtain a name change except through the routes the statute expressly preserves: a family court order under HRS §574-5(a)(2), which covers adoption decrees, divorce-related name changes, and single-parent minor petitions; marriage or civil union; legitimation; or an order or decree of a court of competent jurisdiction in another state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or a US territory. Outside those routes, a registrant needs a court determination that granting the petition is in the best interest of justice and will not adversely affect public safety. That court finding is a prerequisite step a registrant must clear before the Lieutenant Governor's office will act on the application at all, a structural difference from states where the restriction is enforced directly by the office handling the petition.

Marriage and Name Changes in Hawaii

Hawaii is one of the states that codifies how marriage interacts with a person's name. Under HRS §574-1, marriage or civil union does not compel either party to change their name. Each party simply declares the middle and last name they intend to use as a married person or civil union partner, and that declared name becomes their legal name with no separate court or Lieutenant Governor filing required. The Lieutenant Governor's office confirms the practical consequence: a Hawaii resident married in Hawaii who declared a spouse's name on the marriage certificate does not need a name-change application at all. See name change after marriage for how to update federal records like a Social Security card once a marriage-based name is set.

Related Hawaii Records

For the marriage certificate or divorce decree that documents a Hawaii name change, see Hawaii marriage and divorce records. For how Hawaii's court system handles filings generally, including the divorce cases that do touch name changes, see Hawaii court records. For the broader dissolution process, see Hawaii 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 Hawaii name-change law. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Fees, forms, and processing details change; verify current requirements with the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, the eHawaii portal, or a licensed Hawaii 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

Do I have to go to court to change my name in Hawaii?

Usually not. Most adult Hawaii name changes are an administrative application to the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, filed online, with no judge or hearing involved. Family court handles the narrower routes in HRS §574-5(a)(2): adoption decrees, restoring a pre-marriage name in a divorce, changing a minor child's name in a divorce, and a single-parent petition for a minor whose other parent cannot be located. Certain sex-offender and violent-offender cases also need a court finding first.

How much does a Hawaii name change cost?

More than the filing fee suggests. The Lieutenant Governor's office charges $56 per petition ($50 filing, $1 archive, $5 service), and its Name Change Guide then lists a publication fee starting at $204.19 plus a $41 fee to record the order with the Bureau of Conveyances. That puts the realistic starting cost near $301, and amending a birth certificate through the Department of Health can add a fourth fee.

Do I have to be a Hawaii resident to change my name through the Lieutenant Governor?

Yes. The Lieutenant Governor's Name Change Guide states that only Hawaii residents are eligible for a name change granted by that office. Active-duty military personnel are directed to apply using a physical Hawaii address.

Does Hawaii require publishing a name-change notice?

Yes, notice must be published once in a newspaper of general circulation, with an affidavit of publication filed within 60 days. Under HRS §574-5(e), an affidavit from a Hawaii prosecuting attorney showing the step is needed for the applicant's protection excuses both publication and recordation in the Bureau of Conveyances, and the petition, affidavit, and order are kept confidential.

Can a registered sex offender change their name in Hawaii?

Only through a family court order under HRS §574-5(a)(2), marriage, civil union, legitimation, or an out-of-state court order, or after a court finds that the change is in the best interest of justice and will not adversely affect public safety. That court finding must happen before the Lieutenant Governor's office will act.

Do I need a name-change application if I take my spouse's name at marriage in Hawaii?

No. Under HRS §574-1, each spouse declares the name they will use as a married person directly on the marriage documentation, and that becomes their legal name without a separate Lieutenant Governor or court filing.