Change your name in California

You can legally change your name by filing papers in court. If a judge agrees, they will give you a court order that states your new legal name. You need this order to change your name on identity documents, like your driver’s license, passport, or social security card. 

Basic steps to change a name

To start the process, you file forms with the court

You pay a $435-$450 filing fee. If you can’t afford the fee, you can ask the court to waive it. The clerk will give you a date when a judge will make a decision.

A judge will make a decision in about 2 to 3 months after you complete a few more steps.

Before a judge can decide, you must have the forms published in a newspaper for one month. This means that the request shows up in a legal notice section of a paper. There’s a fee to publish in a newspaper.

If you’re asking to change your child’s name, your child's other parent may need to get a copy of your request. This is called serving court papers.

After you get the court order, you will use it to have your identity documents updated.

Consider other ways to change a name

There are other ways to change your name if it is related to marriage, divorce, or becoming a U.S. citizen.

• How to change your name through marriage license application process.
• How to change your name as part of your divorce case. You can do this even if you were divorced years ago.
• How to change your name as part of the naturalization process. 

To correct a clerical error on a legal identity document, contact the agency that issues legal identity documents.