How do i go about changing my daughters last name?

Question

my daughter has her father's last name but i would like to add my last name on as well. either by hypen or just adding it. do i need his permission and how do i go about doing this?

Answer 1

All your local court house and ask.

Your going to have to pay for a judge (and show up in court) to change it- it's not free!

One of my teacher just changed her name and she talked about the pain it was going to court.

Answer 2

If you live in the USA and she is ever going to apply for a passport, a job with the government, a job with a government contractor, a job with a security clearance, a pilot's license, admission the the Naval academy . . .

then, based on a long, involved and painful experience with the Passport Agency this year over whether my middle name was "Bryan" or "Brian", I would highly recommend you jump through all the hoops now.

Go to the courthouse, pay the $320 (It may vary by state), publish the proposed name change in a county-wide newspaper (at your expense - again, costs vary) for four weeks, go back to the courthouse, get the final decree, have a dozen notarized copies made, and keep them at hand.

Then change her name on every record you can think of; school, gymnastics class, the doctor's office, her subscription to "Teen" magazine, her Social Security card, her bank account . . .

The clerk at the court will tell you about Hubby's permission. It would not hurt to have it, if you two are still on speaking terms.

Answer 3

You can do a legal name change, as already noted. Anything like this might require the consent of the other parent. However, some places allow name changes without the paperwork - at least they used to. Years ago a friend of mine decided to drop her stepdad's name and use the name of the man she believed to be her father (at no time was this ever her legal name). Over time it became her accepted last name because it  was used on official documents - school, etc. I had another friend do the same sort of thing with one of her children - they just started using his stepdad's last name and over time it became at least semi-official because it was on of his school documents, etc. This could be something that varies by state. It might also be something that's easier to do with children. I know if you change your name as an adult you have to announce it so creditors and the like know you've changed it (I know this because my brother legally took our stepdad's last name when he turned 18, cheaper than an adoption).