Name Change In NY

Published: Dec 17, 2017 | Updated: Jan 25, 2023 |

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Name Change in NY State

A person’s name is important because it is an integral part of self image and ancestry. Sometimes people wish to change their name. Their are three ways that an adult over the age of 18 can legally change their name.

Adult Name Change Petition

If you want to change your full name you can do it by filing an Adult Name Change Petition with the Court. So long as the name is not being changed to avoid financial obligations or to perpetrate a fraud, it is perfectly legal to do. The procedure to change ones name is a matter of filing the right paperwork with the court, obtaining a Court Order, and updating your identification documents. Whether you are changing your name for personal preference, or for some other other reason (like perhaps your have the same name as a serial killer), feel free to do it.

Change Name by Marriage

When you get married you can change your last name to that of your spouse. Although we live in a patriarchal society, this is not just for women. Men can take the surname of their wife as well.

Change Name by Divorce

When you get Divorced you can change your name back to your prior surname that you had been using prior to the divorce. This does not just mean a woman's maiden name, it could be a former married name that either spouse had been using prior to the marriage.