To begin, the petitioner must complete the Petition for Name Change for Adult. In some cases, it must be notarized. The Notice of Name Change Hearing and Order for Name Change must be completed, either by the petitioner or the clerk of court (depending on the county).

The petitioner must file the forms with the clerk of court in their county (subject to fees). The clerk may request that the Report of Legal Name Change (F-05021) be completed and filed as well. A hearing is typically set upon filing.

The petitioner must publish the Notice of Name Change Hearing in a local newspaper once a week for three weeks.^[1] After three weeks have passed, the newspaper will give the petitioner a Declaration of Publication, which must be filed with the court clerk.

The petitioner must attend the hearing and should bring the below documents. The judge will sign the Order for Name Change if the request is approved.^[2]

• Birth certificate (if requested)
• Declaration of Publication (provided by publication)
• Report of Legal Name Change (F-05021) (if requested)

The signed Order for Name Change must then be filed with the clerk of court’s office. In some cases, the order may need to be recorded with the local register of deeds office where the name change was made.

An adult can also change their name by getting married or divorced. In either case, the marriage certificate or record of divorce with the new name can be submitted to the Department of Transportation or Social Security Administration office to update the individual’s identification.