Hawaii
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.
A Hawaii court gets involved in only two situations, restoring a name in a divorce decree, and a sex-offender or violent-offender registrant whose petition needs a prior 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.
The application fee is roughly $55 through the eHawaii portal, though other official sourcing describes a $50 filing fee plus a $1 archive fee and a $5 service fee, totaling $56. After the order is issued, recording it with the Bureau of Conveyances costs a separate $41. 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
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.
Restoring a Former Name After Divorce
Divorce is the one adult scenario in Hawaii that actually goes through a court rather than the Lieutenant Governor's office. When either party in a divorce proceeding requests resuming a pre-marriage middle or last name, the family court includes that name change directly in the divorce decree.
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. Publication can be waived if a prosecutor files an affidavit attesting that the waiver is needed for the applicant's safety, a mechanism relevant to anyone with a domestic-violence or safety concern.
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 marriage, civil union, legitimation, or a court order from another jurisdiction, unless a court determines the change is in the 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. 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.
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. Court is required only for divorce-related restoration and certain sex-offender or violent-offender cases.
How much does a Hawaii name change cost?
The eHawaii portal lists a fee of roughly $55 to $56 for the application itself, plus a separate $41 fee to record the resulting order with the Bureau of Conveyances.
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. A prosecutor can attest to a safety-based waiver of this requirement.
Can a registered sex offender change their name in Hawaii?
Only through marriage, civil union, legitimation, an out-of-state court order, or after a court first finds that the change serves the interest of justice and will not harm 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.
Updates
Governing law re-checked for recent changes
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources
Sources and References
- Hawaii Revised Statutes § 574-5, Change of Name(capitol.hawaii.gov).gov
- Hawaii Revised Statutes § 574-1, Married Persons' and Civil Union Partners' Names(capitol.hawaii.gov).gov
- Hawaii eHawaii Name Change Application portal(portal.ehawaii.gov).gov
- Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 846E, Sex Offender and Other Covered Offender Registration(capitol.hawaii.gov).gov