Name Change in Texas

In order to legally change names in Texas you must have a court order approving the name change. There are many legal and more reasons for a person to change their name or name of a child. This website provides assistance with name changes.

There are three services available for changing a name in Texas. First, a spouse may change their name during a Texas divorce. Second, any person over the age of 18 may change their name. Third, a parent or guardian may change the name of a minor child.

Change Name with Divorce

A spouse may change their name as part of the divorce. The final divorce decree should indicate the name that spouse wishes to be known as after the divorce. If desired, changing your name as part of the divorce is included with our uncontested divorce service. There are no additional costs to change your name in this situation.

Adult Name Change

If you wish to change your name after your divorce or any other valid reason, a person over the age of 18 may petition the court for a name change. The process requires you to file a petition with the court and receive an order that legally changes your name.

The law requires you attach your fingerprints to the petition for name change. Although it is not required by law, some courts require you to send in your fingerprints to DPS to have a criminal check run before finalizing the name change. If required, the criminal check may take three to six weeks.

In order to change your name you cannot be a convicted felon or a registered sex offender. Some courts may hesitate to change your name even if you have misdemeanor convictions. So if you have any criminal convictions it is best discuss this with your case attorney.

Once your name change is granted by the court you will need to send/take a certified copy of the court order to the Social Security Administration, DPS for your driver’s license, etc. A list of suggested places to notify about your name change is included with the case documents you receive with our service.

Please email us at info@texasdivorceonline.com and ask for more information about our adult name change service. We are here to help you through the process.

Change Name of a Minor

Any parent, managing conservator, or guardian of a minor may file for a legal name change in the county where the minor resides. A minor is anyone under the age of 18.

The process is similar to an adult name change. If a child is ten or over, the child must sign a document indicating they agree with the name change. The other parent has to either consent to the name change or be served with notice of the name change. If you do not know where the other parent is located you will have to take some extra steps to get the minor’s name changed.

We provide assistance with child name changes. Please email us at info@texasdivorceonline.com and ask for more information about our child name change service.