If you wish to change your name or the name of your child(ren), you can do that in connection with a divorce or adoption proceeding, or by filing a petition for a Change of Name.

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A name change can be done so long as the request is not being made for any fraudulent, illegal, or immoral purpose. It also cannot interfere with someone else's rights (another parent, for example). In a Name Change case, you must publish a notice in a local newspaper in the county in which you live. This gives the public the opportunity to object to your name change. There is a specific process to make sure that notice is proper and the Court will not schedule a hearing unless published notice has been certified. In specific circumstances, notice can be waived.

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Once your name is changed, you can take the order to the Social Security Administration, the Department of Motor Vehicles, and the Department of Vital Records. There are also businesses who handle all of the paperwork for you for a fee. You should also notify banks, creditors, schools, and other places where your former name may have been used.  All obligations under your former name remain in effect regardless of the name change. 

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As family law lawyers in Towson and Baltimore, Maryland, Wasserman Family Law has extensive experience assisting clients through the name change process.

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