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Adult Name Change for California residents, Over 18 Years Old

Adult Name Change is a Superior court process for anyone over 18, with a California residence.  We do a lot of theses. Everyone has there own circumstance and background.  Every Adult Name Change is important and personal. We have experience with each and every one of these different situations.

Some of the types of Adult Name Change we’ve helped accomplish are to straighten out ID variations. Others are to get a name exactly right  after marriage or divorce. Many people have us help them get the name they always wanted and may have been using already. Still others want to get rid of a name with bad associations or to honor someone important. There is no end to the kinds of reasons why people want to get a legal name change. We’ve helped with them all.

Get the information you want to feel comfortable. Then go ahead to start your name change. The best time to start it was long ago when you first wanted to do it. The second best time is now.  We’re Name Change Specialists. If you start this, we will help you make it happen.

Adult Name Change Information and Help

How Does it Work?


For Adult Name Change, prepare a collection of Forms, called a Petition for Change of Name. File them with the Civil Unlimited filing clerk in the County Superior Court for where you live. The Court will set a Hearing for Your Name Change. Before that Hearing, you must have a qualified newspaper run a legal notice of the Hearing for 4 consecutive weeks. Your judge gets a confidential criminal history assessment report on you, and has all your information from the Petition. Usually, the judge approves Your Name Change at your Hearing. You get your Certified Copy(s) right after you get your signed Decree in the same courthouse. For a fuller explanation of the process, click here

Social Security, DMV, Passports and other government and financial entities want you to show them a Certified Copy of your Court Order (actually called a Decree Changing Name) when you ask them to Change Your Name and give you new documents with Your New Legal Name.

How Long Does it Take?


It will take you 5-15 minutes to complete our Questionnaire. EZ Name Change takes 1 business day to review your information, properly prepare a complete Petition customized to Your Court’s local requirements and your particular Name Change.Adult Name Change in California takes about 2 1/2 months to get your Court Order, from the day you start to the day you have your Court Order, upon approval. Technically, there’s between 6 and 12 weeks from the day your Petition is fully Filed to your Hearing date. That time frame can be a little longer, depending on the court’s schedule and yours.

Some courts are backed up due to budget cut and crowded case loads. Your Hearing and decision can be delayed if your paperwork is incomplete, inaccurate or your background raises questions that haven’t been resolved by the Hearing date.

How much does it cost?


Adult Name Change costs vary depending on where you live, which newspaper you choose and how many Certified Copies you get. Its about $705 (Full Service) or $630 (Ready-To-File) if we help you, and about $515 if you Do-It-Yourself. Court fees are the biggest part of those costs.  They can be waived if you qualify because of low income (ask us about court fee waiver forms if you think you may qualify). For itemization of costs, click here for Full Service, or here for Ready-To-File.

What About Court Fee Waivers?


All California Name Change Courts allow Adult Name Change requests that court fees be waived. Fee Waiver Requests are for people who can’t afford the court fees and also their regular monthly household living expenses. The court makes that decision. Submit all the right forms to have the Court consider your Request to Waive Fees. The Court requires a properly completed Petition before they will consider Granting a Request to Waive Court Fees.

EZ Name Change will complete all your Fee Waiver Request Forms, without any extra charges, if we are helping you with your Petition. You just need to let us know you want to apply for Court Fee Waivers. You can see a blank Fee Waiver Form here, or use this link to print it out for your own use or review.

How do I know if my ‘Reason’ to Change Names is a good one?


For Adult Name Change, any truthful reason that doesn’t cause deceit, harm or fraud is likely to be an acceptable one.

To give you some relative perspective:


Court’s won’t likely allow you to get a name that is intended to mislead (such as adopting a celebrity’s name), that is intentionally confusing, or that incites violence. Nor can one adopt, as a name, a racial slur, a threat, or an obscenity.

What if I Have Different Versions of My Name on Different ID?


This is a common condition, particularly for females.

Unfortunately it can cause delays, aggravation, and other trouble in different financial, travel, security, employment and other situations.  Fortunately, Legal Name Change can cleared and clean it all up fully.

If you gather up all the different variations, and correctly include them within a Petition for Change of Name, you can get a Decree Changing Name to the 1 Name you want to be using for every purpose. It should be your goal to have one single Legal Name. You can have pet names, or nicknames, or any sort of informal names you want. Choose one name you want officially and legally. Then, get a Court Order and change over your ID and other Records. That’s the way to minimize any potential for disruption or delay, due to your Name, as you go about your life.

Take your Certified Decree Decree Changing Name, and go change all your important records. Take it immediately to each government, financial and every other office where your ID and Official Records are kept, and have your chosen Legal Name uniformly reflected in all those places. Be sure to have your Decree done correctly. Then, it works.

Can My Petition Be Denied?


Yes, but it’s relatively rare.

To give you some relative perspective:

If your documents are incomplete or substantially incorrect, or if you don’t file in the correct court, don’t expect approval. For those of you on parole or probation, you will likely need written support from your agent or officer. If the judge thinks your name change will cause harm or injury, you will likely be denied. Unresolved criminal history problems will usually cause denial. The Court dismisses your case if you are required to attend, but don’t go.

The California Name Change laws (CCP 1275-1279.6) will tell you all the rules. CCP 1279.5 is especially important to anyone with unresolved criminal history problems.  For more information about the possibility of getting turned down, see “Can My Name Change Be Denied?”

Your Petition approval should happen if you followed all the Name Change rules and aren’t trying to get away with something or cause harm . Of course, your judge will always be the one to make that decision. And, you do actually have to Start to make your Name Change a reality!

What If I Just Need a Little Change?


If you want new ID or Official Records of your Name Changed, you will probably need a court order to it. For a small change to Your Name with Social Security, or School, or DMV, or Passport, just ask them to do it and find out. If they tell you to get a court order, then you need a “Legal Name Change”.

Even if you want just one letter changed, or even if you just want your first name changed around with your middle name…those are all Legal Name Changes.  When you Petition for Change of Name, you can propose changing your name just a little, or completely. The Reason that requires a Court Order is not how much of a change you want. It’s whether you want to require someone to honor the change you want. Some places won’t do it unless you bring them a properly Certified order from a California Superior Court.

A Court Order, or Decree Changing Name (which is a type of court order), All the primary government agencies will issue you new ID when you give them a Name Change Court Order. They will ask you to hand them a Certified Copy, which you will get at the end of this process upon approval of a judge. All 50 states honor the Certified, California Decree Changing Name. The Federal Government, and all other governments honor it too.

What If I've Already Been Using The Name I Want?


A LOT of people are born with one name, but grow up using another name. Since 9/11, that situation has become a problem Licensing, Registration, Security, Employment and other 21st century considerations. Clean up, and clear up those problems with a Petition for Change of Name. The successful end of that process puts a Certified Court Order in your hands. You must do it correctly. Then just take your Decree Changing Name to who ever is flagging you..and the problem will end.

This kind of problem didn’t start with 9/11. Americans have always been having name changes or variations when growing up. The 38th President of the United States was born Leslie Lynch King. You’ve never heard of President King though. That’s because he filed a Name Change Petition and legally changed his name to the one he grew up using….Gerald Ford. Let’s make that President Gerald Ford.

With Full Service, it’ll take about 2 1/2 months and about $705. Court Order Name Change fixes the problem. Legally and permanently.

Maiden Name Change Process Questions

Can I take my Maiden Name back if I’m still married?

Yes. Many women and some men want to retake their Maiden Name without divorce. People commonly Restore a Maiden Name for Professional Purposes, but many reason will do. Neither is Divorce required to retake a Maiden, or any other formerly held legal name. A Petition for Change of Name will accomplish that, upon approval by a judge. You don’t need spousal approval in California. Just correctly prepare your Petition, process it properly,  comply with the California Name Change laws and you should be fine.

After divorce, are Name Change costs and time frames the same as any other Name Change?

If your divorce was done in California Superior Court, and it’s final, then you can retake your Maiden Name with a new Order from your divorce court. That process is shorter and costs less than the regular Name Change Petition process requires. Check out this additional information to get yours Started, or for more specific information about Maiden Name Change With or Without Divorce

Gender Identity Name Change Petition

Name Change or Name and Gender Change

There are two different kinds of Petitions that seek to change a person’s name to conform to Gender Identity. Each one has a very different set of Forms and results. 

Petition for Change of Name (only)

If you wish to change your name, in order to conform your name to your gender identity (without also seeking to change your gender marker at the same time), then you can do that. When this type of Adult Name Change Petition is prepared, you don’t need to advertise or attend a Hearing at the court (see CCP 1277(a)(5) and 1278(a)(2)). Processing these cases isn’t always going smoothly yet. We have had to help many of our Gender Identity Petition customers turn around improperly processed Petitions of this type.

Petition for Change of Name and Gender

This type of Adult Name Change Petition is for people choosing to change their name and gender marker AFTER completing clinically appropriate treatment. And, in addition to all the Name Change information, remember to include a Physician Declaration. All the same laws apply to this type of Petition as apply to all other types (CCP 1275-1279.6), plus the Health and Safety Code, Sections 103430 and 103435. The Name Change Laws (CCP 1275-1279.6) exempt appearance OR Advertising  for petitions seeking to conform to gender Identity. In contrast, the Petition for Change of Name and Gender does not explicitly state it’s to conform to gender identity.

The Health and Safety Code Sections 103430 and 103435 state that the judge may examine the Name and Gender Change Petitioner (103430(b)). It further provides that, for this type of Petition, the Order to Show Cause Form shall not include the petition to recognize the change of gender (103435). These provisions have led to some Petition derailments. EZ Name and Gender Change customers (through 2017) have never been denied due to Advertising or Hearing appearance.

For additional information, please see Transgender Name Change.

Family Name Change Petition

Name Change for 2 or More Family Members

In California, you can change the names of multiple family members at the same time. We’ve successfully helped a Family of 9. Families change names for many different reasons, just like individuals do. After remarriage, children and/or spouses may want to share last names all together. Sometimes couples, or whole families, want to retake an ancestral name. Or, sometimes a young couple wants to take their own new family name to pursue their shared future. Lots of different and good reasons.

At EZ Name Change, we’re very experienced at California Family Name Change. You choose the names and give us the information…we’ll take you the rest of the way there.  For specific details about Family Name Change costs and time frames, give us a call at 818 505-6189. Or, send us your situation and questions by email for a quick and detailed response.