Name Changes

CHANGING YOUR NAME

Any individual desirous of changing his or her name or the name of his or her child may present a petition to the superior court of the county of his or her residence. Such petition shall set forth fully and particularly the reasons why the name change is being requested. Such petition shall be verified by the petitioner. O.C.G.A. § 19-12-1.

Women who have recently been divorced, cases where a child has recently been acknowledged by their father, gender confirmation surgery, or after an adoption has occurred are all instances where a legal name change must be requested.

NAME CHANGE MUST BE PUBLISHED IN NEWSPAPER

In addition to petitioning the court, the petitioner must also publish the name change in the legal section of their local newspaper and follow other legal processes. If there are no legal objections to the name change, the petition will be granted so long as it does not deprive another fraudulently of any right under the law.

EFFECTS OF NAME CHANGE

After the name change has been approved by the courts, there are a host of other issues which must be addressed including changing names on Social Security cards, driver’s licenses, and more. All these steps must be completed to ensure you are fully protected and future benefits are not negatively impacted.

If you desire to change your name or your minor child’s name, contact the Parker Law Firm at 770-246-1331 or at info@theparkerlawfirm.net and let us go to work for you.