Legal Question in Family Law in Tennessee

Can a person file for a petition to change name?

I'm a mother of a 12 yr. old girl.She never have seen her real Dad.He abandoned me when I was 3 mons. pregnant with my li'l girl now 12 yrs old.He never showed up anymore, so i filed a petition for Presumed Death after 6 yrs. for me to remarry another guy and have new life.And for my daughter to have someone to be called a Dad.Now, my daughter also wants to use my second husband family name and disregards her real Dad's family name so we all have the same or will be using same family name, she is now started using it in school that's why i am wondering if i can do it legally anyway, for ther's no make sense of using her real Dad's family name because they did not see each other, not supporting her eversence.Her step-Dad is very resposible, kind loving and caring. Is there a way that Ican file a Petition to change name on behalf of my daughters name, thank you for your time and consideration in this regards. I appreciate you response, looking forward to hear back from you. Have nice day.


Asked on 7/11/07, 9:20 pm

2 Answers from Attorneys

Jes Beard Jes Beard, Attorney at Law

Re: Can a person file for a petition to change name?

The best thing to do would be for your husband to adopt the child, which would change her name and take care of everything, but if you are not going to do that, you probably should file a petition to change your daughter's name and you will probably need an attorney to do that. If you would like to discuss things further, simply call my office or reach me thru my website at jesbeard.com

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Answered on 7/12/07, 8:01 am
KJW Firm PLC

Re: Can a person file for a petition to change name?

What I would recommend is a step-parent adoption as opposed to a name change. In the adoption petition, you can ask the court to change the name of your daughter. You have the added benefit that if something happens to you, your spouse will have legal rights concerning your daughter. If you are in the Middle TN area, please feel free to contact our office.

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Answered on 7/12/07, 8:02 am


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