Legally changing my daughter's last name...?

Question

My daughter is 8 years old, and her dad has never really been in her life. He was ordered to pay child support and did for about 2 years but has not done so for the other 6. He lives out of state and does not call or write her. He is not on her birth certificate either. I am not married, and my daughter looks at my husband as a father, we also recently just had a baby. So my daughter is feeling left out that she has a different last name as the rest of us. We live in Indiana, so I was just wondering if anyone knew the process of changing her last name here. Does he have to adopt her, or can we just change her name. He would love to adopt her but right now we are just trying to go the cheapest route. Thanks in advance for your answers.

Answer 1

In your answer you said "I am not married" So my question is are you married or not????

Answer 2

Similar thing happened to me - and I worked for the courts at the time.

My new husband was able to adopt our daughter and give her his name (the cost was minimal - you may even be able to DIY - check out LegalZoom).

First, however, we had to terminate my ex-husband's parental rights.  This too was as simple as a signed document, which he was more than happy to sign, as he owed over 20K in past child support.

Make a few calls. You'll find its not as pricey as you think.

Good luck to you and your family.

Answer 3

I'm not completely sure, but I do believe your husband does have to adopt her as his child. You'll have to schedule a court time and do all of the necessary procedures to do this.

Check with your local Chamber of Commerce or another government building to make sure.