# Parents' right to change a child's name **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 29, 2002, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-right-to-change-a-childs-name/139453 "2002-11-29T04:49:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Catalyst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@Catalyst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catalyst)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2002, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-right-to-change-a-childs-name/139453/1 "2002-11-29T04:49:38Z")
Beyond naming a newborn child, are parents legally able to rename their child? At what age can a child legally object to a name change? I’m referring to first and middle names only; name change due to adoption is another matter entirely. Also, I’m mainly asking about US laws (which means I’m probably asking about state law), but responses from other countries are welcome. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2002, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-right-to-change-a-childs-name/139453/2 "2002-11-29T04:57:56Z")
Yep. That happened to my cousin-my great aunt and uncle couldn’t decide what to name him before they left the hospital, and before she left, she just decided to name him after my uncle. When he showed up, they talked about it, and changed their minds. And then my uncle had to go to the courthouse. Or something like that, I don’t remember all the details. ---
**Author:** ![Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/57b2e6/32.png) [@Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Random)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2002, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-right-to-change-a-childs-name/139453/3 "2002-11-29T05:21:52Z")
Petitions for name changes for kids are fairly routine. If the parent has a plausible reason, it gets done. The (Illinois) court division that I appear in (IAAL) most frequently is the one that handles name changes. Now, I have to admit I’ve never seen a 16 year old stand up and object to his parent’s attempt to change his name. If the kid had a good reason, most judges would listen. ---
**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2002, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-right-to-change-a-childs-name/139453/4 "2002-11-29T05:28:33Z")
Huh? If parents can name a child, it stands to reason that they can re-name the child, too, right? ---
**Author:** ![Catalyst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@Catalyst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catalyst)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2002, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-right-to-change-a-childs-name/139453/5 "2002-11-29T06:09:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Urban Ranger \* > \*\*Huh? > > If parents can name a child, it stands to reason that they can re-name the child, too, right? \*\* Sure, but a kid might not be too keen on being called Jim after having been Bill for fifteen years. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2002, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-right-to-change-a-childs-name/139453/6 "2002-11-29T14:08:21Z")
IANAL - I’m guessing most of these cases occur when the child is still very young - just a few months or years old, at most, right? I’d think that in cases with older kids, some of the other "the child is old enough"rules might come into play. Like medical information - isn’t it confidential if the kid is 14 or older? Or sexual age of consent (14-16, I think, depending on the state). If a child can make that kind of decision, then I’m sure he/she is old enough to know whether he/she wants a new name, or agrees with his parents on one. On the other hand, if someone just starts calling the kid Jim even though he’s been Bill for 15 years, what’s the kid going to do about it if people insist? Either ignore them or respond, right? [hijack] We call one of my best friends George. His name is Kevin, but years ago someone joked that they wanted to have a friend name George, and he became “it”. To this day, he responds to it more than to his actual name at this point, and even his parents call him George. He doesn’t seem to mind at all (even though we;ve asked). [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2002, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-right-to-change-a-childs-name/139453/7 "2002-11-29T14:26:14Z")
Note that this happened with Woody and Mia’s son, formerly “Satchel” I believe. And it was Mia only, Woody didn’t agree. (It is presumed it is for spite, too.) ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2002, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-right-to-change-a-childs-name/139453/8 "2002-11-29T15:04:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Urban Ranger \* > \*\*Huh? > > If parents can name a child, it stands to reason that they can re-name the child, too, right? \*\* No, or I’m pretty certain my dad would have renamed me ‘dumbass’ at 15 after that incident with the car. ---
**Author:** ![mrcrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@mrcrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrcrow)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2002, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-right-to-change-a-childs-name/139453/9 "2002-11-29T15:23:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jonathan Chance \* > \*\*No, or I’m pretty certain my dad would have renamed me ‘dumbass’ at 15 after that incident with the car. \*\* firstly the age is a main factor. age of consent etc a child’s name may i feel be changed if the child were to suffer un necessary trauma due to a poor choice by parents or if the name had bad overtones and referred to a undesirable public figure i know in scotland that you can use any name you wish, except the surname. after two years and sufficient evidence that you were known by that name to any party, it can be changed by the registrar by paying a fee and showing the evidence. bills letters and the like a surname change requires a public notice to be posted and a legal procedure to be followed…deed poll. but all this pertains to adult…for children under parental and other adult control i suspect they take the decision…but up to what age is difficult since the child should be aware and agreeable to it as well. or may be the initiator of the change. any change for unlawful reasons would be prohibited and probably risk prosecution. [deed poll regs. nb may just be for england and wales. excluding scotland and northern eirland](http://www.changeyourname.co.uk/) ---
**Author:** ![mrcrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@mrcrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrcrow)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2002, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-right-to-change-a-childs-name/139453/10 "2002-11-29T15:28:52Z")
as a follow up when i lived in scotland my stepchildren used my name at school when they were old enough to decide they reverted back to their father’s name as i had not adopted them formally, at their request. there were no problems at school even though their birth certificates showed their father’s name. fotunately they took all their important exams in the latter name. ---
**Author:** ![jimmmy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/73ab20/32.png) [@jimmmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimmmy)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2002, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-right-to-change-a-childs-name/139453/11 "2002-11-29T15:58:59Z")
My SO parents changed her name when she was 12 for the all time whimsical reason: kept the same pronunciation, but wanted a more (ethnically) “authentic” spelling. A good friend 's (Taiwanese) parents gave her an “American” name when they came to this country. Started calling her this at 14, but only became official at 16. She semi-objected by the time it ended. Alot of talk now as an adult about changing it back. ---
**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2002, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-right-to-change-a-childs-name/139453/12 "2002-11-29T21:04:38Z")
I seem to remember under UK law a mother can’t change a child’s surname without the father’s permission. Whether they can still change it unofficially I don’t know - you can go by any name you want to, legally, but to get a new passport etc you need a statutory declaration, and for certain cases such as inheritance requiring a name change, you need to actually do it by deed poll (you register the statutory declaration and take out an ad the legal gazette - fucking pointless IMO as no one reads it!) ---
**Author:** ![mrcrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@mrcrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrcrow)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2002, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-right-to-change-a-childs-name/139453/13 "2002-11-29T21:22:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by istara \* > \*\*I seem to remember under UK law a mother can’t change a child’s surname without the father’s permission. Whether they can still change it unofficially I don’t know - you can go by any name you want to, legally, but to get a new passport etc you need a statutory declaration, and for certain cases such as inheritance requiring a name change, you need to actually do it by deed poll (you register the statutory declaration and take out an ad the legal gazette - fucking pointless IMO as no one reads it!) \*\* ---
**Author:** ![mrcrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@mrcrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrcrow)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2002, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-right-to-change-a-childs-name/139453/14 "2002-11-29T21:24:43Z")
sorry i didnt get any text on and pushed the button just saying that wills in the uk have to be advertised as to the reading to allow contestants to attend. the ad is normally put in some obscure part of the country where no relatives could be living. its called i believe in the usa due process:(