New Jersey
New Jersey Name Change Laws: How to Legally Change Your Name
New Jersey handles a legal name change as a Superior Court action under N.J.S.A. 2A:52-1, filed in the Civil Division when an adult is changing only their own name, and in the Family Division when a minor is involved. According to the Judiciary's own self-help pages, the court filing fee is a flat $250, no newspaper publication is required, and there is no outright bar tied to a criminal record. Instead, the statute requires a sworn disclosure of any convictions or pending charges plus a certification that the change is not being sought to evade debt or commit fraud.
New Jersey's state government also reports a significant privacy feature that is easy to miss: in 2021, the state's Supreme Court reportedly ordered name-change case records excluded from public access. This page covers the adult and minor petition process, the fee, publication, restrictions, and how marriage and divorce affect a New Jersey name.
Information last verified on 2026-08-11. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.
How to Legally Change Your Name as an Adult in New Jersey
File in the Superior Court, Civil Division, of the county where you live, using New Jersey's self-help packet, form CN 10551 (How to Ask the Court to Change Your Name, Adults Only). According to njcourts.gov, the filing fee is a flat $250. Expect smaller downstream costs too: about $50 to file with the New Jersey Division of Taxation and Revenue within 45 days of the order, and $2 to $25 for each certified vital-record copy you order afterward. A fee waiver is available on a showing of financial hardship, documented with pay stubs, public-benefits paperwork, unemployment records, or bank statements.
The Judiciary's self-help instructions describe residency as simply living in New Jersey, with no stated minimum duration.
Changing a Minor's Name in New Jersey
New Jersey's minor name-change process is handled in the Family Division, Chancery Division, and lives in a court rule rather than a Title 2A statute, structurally similar to how Maryland's minor procedure sits in a court rule rather than the Family Law code. According to njcourts.gov, the parent who is not filing the petition must be sent a copy of the Verified Complaint and the Order Fixing Date for Hearing, by certified mail, return receipt requested, to their last known address, unless that parent lives at the same address, is deceased, or has had parental rights terminated. New Jersey's Family Division uses its own combined-family fee structure and a lettered form set (Forms F through J) for this process; contact your county Family Division for the current fee and forms.
No Publication Required, and a 2021 Privacy Order
New Jersey does not require newspaper publication for a name change. The state's own step-by-step guide states plainly: "You DO NOT need to publish your name change request in a newspaper." The Judiciary's adult self-help page likewise describes the process with no publication step anywhere in it.
According to the same state guide: "In 2021, the NJ Supreme Court ordered that all records of name changes be excluded from public access to respect the rights and privacy of transgender individuals." As reported, that would mean New Jersey name-change case files are not publicly searchable court records the way many other civil filings are. This is a state-court-record protection; it does not automatically extend to federal agencies. A sealed or non-public state record does not, on its own, make a name change confidential with the Social Security Administration or the State Department's passport office.
Restrictions: Disclosure, Not a Bar
New Jersey's approach to a petitioner's criminal history is disclosure-based rather than a categorical bar. According to njcourts.gov, if you have pending criminal or delinquency charges in New Jersey, you must notify the appropriate law enforcement agencies at least 20 days before your hearing date. The judge may also ask whether you are trying to avoid debt or a criminal history as "a routine part of the process." No language categorically denying a petition based on a past conviction was found in the Judiciary's own description of the process.
The petition itself requires a sworn statement that the name change is not being sought to avoid or obstruct a criminal prosecution, or to avoid creditors or commit a criminal or civil fraud. Knowingly giving false information on that statement is a fourth-degree crime. Separately, New Jersey's Megan's Law sex-offender-registration statutes likely impose their own duty on registrants to report a name change to law enforcement, but that is a registration-compliance obligation distinct from any bar on filing the name-change petition itself, and should not be confused with a filing restriction.
Name Change After Marriage in New Jersey
New Jersey's own materials treat a marriage-based name change as an administrative matter, not a distinct court filing: a newly married person updates their name with the Social Security Administration and the Motor Vehicle Commission using a certified marriage certificate, without filing a separate name-change petition.
Name Change After Divorce in New Jersey
According to New Jersey court materials, N.J.S.A. 2A:34-21 lets the court allow either spouse or partner to resume a former name, or assume a new surname, upon or after granting a divorce. That "upon or after" framing means this can happen as part of the divorce judgment itself, or by a later motion, rather than requiring you to catch it in the original filing.
Related New Jersey Records
See New Jersey marriage and divorce records for documenting a name restored in a divorce judgment, New Jersey court records for how a name-change case fits into the state's broader court records, and New Jersey divorce laws for the dissolution process itself.
For the national picture, see how to legally change your name, how much does it cost to change your name, and the name change checklist. For every state side by side, see name change laws by state.
Disclaimer
This article provides general information about New Jersey name-change law. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Fees, forms, and court procedures change; verify current details with your New Jersey Superior Court clerk or a licensed New Jersey attorney before relying on anything here for a specific filing.
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 New Jersey?
The Superior Court filing fee is a flat $250, according to the Judiciary's self-help page, plus smaller downstream costs like a Division of Taxation and Revenue filing and certified copies. A fee waiver is available for financial hardship.
Do I have to publish notice of my New Jersey name change in a newspaper?
No. New Jersey's own step-by-step guide states you do not need to publish a name change request in a newspaper.
Are New Jersey name-change records public?
According to a New Jersey state guide, the state Supreme Court ordered in 2021 that name-change case records be excluded from public access. This protects the state court record; it does not automatically make the change confidential with federal agencies like the SSA.
Can I be denied a New Jersey name change because of a criminal record?
New Jersey's process is disclosure-based, not an outright bar. You must notify law enforcement of pending charges at least 20 days before the hearing, and the petition requires a sworn statement that you are not trying to evade debt, prosecution, or commit fraud.
How does a minor's name change work in New Jersey?
It is filed in the Family Division under a court rule rather than Title 2A. The non-filing parent must generally be served by certified mail unless an exception applies, such as living at the same address or having had parental rights terminated.
Updates
Governing law re-checked for recent changes
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources
Sources and References
- New Jersey Courts, How to Ask the Court to Change Your Name, Adults Only(njcourts.gov).gov
- New Jersey Courts, Name Change for a Minor, Self-Help Instructions(njcourts.gov).gov
- New Jersey Division on Civil Rights, Transgender Equality, Step-by-Step Guide to a Legal Name Change(nj.gov).gov
- New Jersey Statutes Annotated 2A:52-1, Change of Name of Person, Petition, Verification, Contents(lis.njleg.state.nj.us).gov