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17 Year Old Daughter Wants To Change Last Name

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  • 05-12-2008, 12:17 PM
    dickens75
    17 Year Old Daughter Wants To Change Last Name
    My question involves name change laws in the State of: Texas. My 17 year old daughter wants to legally change her last name. She was born in California and her biological father is on the birth certificate (she has his last name) however, she has never known him and my husband has raised her since she was 4. I know since he's on the birth certificate the biological father does have parental rights but he's never cared to see her and I've never persued child support. We have lived in texas for about 12 years now and here in texas at school you have to go by the last name on your birth certificate so for all legal exams, trancripts etc. they use her LEGAL last name but the teachers and friends call her by my married last name which is basically the only name she's ever known. With her senior year approaching she deperately wants to change her last name to ours so that her diploma etc. will have our last name. I'm not sure if we have to petition the courts in texas or california for name change or if I should just wait until april of next year when she turns 18 so that it will be less hassle (finding the biological father having him served etc) PLEASE HELP
  • 05-12-2008, 06:28 PM
    CourtClerk
    Re: 17 Year Old Daughter Wants To Change Last Name
    You can file the name change in Texas, but dad will need to be located and notified.

    Best if she waits until she is 18, then she can change her name with no outside interference (notifying her father).
  • 05-13-2008, 09:14 PM
    dickens75
    Re: 17 Year Old Daughter Wants To Change Last Name
    Thank you so much, we will wait until she's 18.
  • 06-18-2008, 09:33 PM
    Anderson
    Re: 17 Year Old Daughter Wants To Change Last Name
    We are in the same situation in Texas. My step son turns 18 in September and he is chomping at the bit for that day to arrive so he can change his name to his dad's name. His mom gave him her maiden name. He wants to make sure his dad's last name is the one on the diploma. We pursued every avenue we could think of to change his name, but alas we finally decided to wait until he turns 18. So much easier. Texas laws are so freaking complicated and I learned way more than I cared to about them while trying to get his name changed.
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