Legal Question in Family Law in Missouri
Changing child's name
I have been divorced for almost a year and have full legal and physical custody of my child. My ex-spouse has not had any contact with the child what-so-ever for almost 2 years. He was given very limited/supervised visitation due to substance abuse but has made no attempt to see the child at all. At this time I have no idea where he is even located. There has been no child support received as ordered by the court since the divorce or during the 1 1/2 years prior to the divorce. I don't know if this is relavent but when the child was born we were not married but married a short time later. Therefore the father's name is not listed on the birth certificate but the child was given the father's last name. My question is this. Do I have the legal right to change my childs name to the last name that I have?
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Changing child's name
Yes, you may petition the court to change the name of your child.