How would I go about changing my last name in CA?

Question

How would I go about changing my last name in CA?

Answer 1

If "CA" is "California and not Canada, you are in luck. I investigated it three months ago as a last resort.

You go to the superior court in your county and file. That costs $320 in Stanislaus County. Then you run a legal notice for four weeks in a widely circulated newspaper in your county. That cost varies depending on which county and how widely the newspaper is circulated.

After four weeks, if no one has objected, you go back to the court and get the final decree.

If you EVER want to apply for a passport, get a job with the government, get a job with a government contractor, have about 12 notarized copies of the judgment made and put them in your safety deposit box until needed.

Fortunately for me, the passport office decided spelling my middle name "Brian" from age 5 onward, instead of the "Bryan" it was on my birth certificate, did not make me an international terrorist.