It is not a joke. In many cases, you need to go to a court to
have your name changed. For people born here, you can get a
new birth certificate with new name once you get a court
order. For women who wanted to change their last name to
that of husbands, they do not need court action if they do that
immiedietly after getting married. But if they want to
do that at very later time, they still need court action.
But if you want to change your birth given name officially,
I think you need a court action.
Check out this NAME CHANGE FAQ at Nolo site
http://www.nolo.com/lawcenter/faqs/detail.cfm/objectID/7C7FA175-7305-4E94-8D24DB5866EEE3CB
FOr wife who want to change her name to that of husban
http://www.nolo.com/lawcenter/faqs/...E4A/catID/211754E8-4167-4E64-9EABA23C9510DE4F
Quote:
Question:
Do I have to file forms in court to change my birth name?
Answer:
Maybe not. In all but a handful of states, you can legally change your name by usage only. A name change by usage is accomplished by simply using a new name in all aspects of your personal, social and business life. No court action is necessary, it costs nothing and is legally valid. (Minors and prison inmates are generally exceptions to this rule.)
Practically speaking, however, an official court document may make it much easier to get everyone to accept your new name. Because many people and agencies do not know that a usage name change is legal, they may want to see something in writing signed by a judge. Also, certain types of identification -- such as a new passport or a birth certificate attachment -- are not readily available if you change your name by the usage method.
If it's available in your state, you may want to try the usage method and see how it goes. If you run into too many problems, you can always file a court petition later.
You can find out whether your state requires a court order by contacting your local clerk of court. Or, if the court clerk doesn't give you enough information, you can look at your state's statutes in a local law library -- start in the index under "Name" or "Change of Name" or ask the reference librarian for help.
End of Quote:
Minnesota's Supreme Court once ruled that a man who wanted to change his name to the number "1069" could not legally do so, but suggested that "Ten Sixty-Nine" might be acceptable (Application of Dengler , 287 NW2d 637 (1979)).
In some countries, some name are illegal. In Germany,
Adolf Hitler is not a legal name. Recently a guy there
wanted to name his son Bin Laden and the case is still
in court.