My question involves name change laws in the State of: TEXAS
I have had sole managing conservitorship of my neice since she was 1, she is now 6 years old. My sister (her birth mother) goes months at a time with out seeing her or calling and has not paid child support in years. Like wise the father has not seen her in 5 years and has not paid child support in at least that long. She has a hyphenated last name; fathers last name - mothers last name (which we share). I want to be able to drop the father's last name and keep only the last name we share. As she is now in school and gets her report cards and offical papers from school she is becoming more and more upset about having the father's last name that she does not even know so I want to drop it for the benefit of her school records. She does not know her birth parents and does not understand why she has to have a name attached to herself that she does not know. What can I do?? I know the father will agree to it, he has no interest in her. The birth mother will agree as well. What do I need to do?

