Name Changes- Adult and Child

When an adult wishes to change their name, the action is heard at the Family

Court. The guiding principles regarding a name change are governed by

NRS 41.270 through 41.290. The steps to a name change include the

following:

1. File a Petition including the current name, desired name change,

the reason for the change, whether the person has been convicted

of a felony, and the name change is not for fraudulent purposes. If

the person seeking the name change has a criminal record, it can be

more difficult to get the name change approved by the Court.

2. Request a Notice that is published in a newspaper of general

circulation.

3. Set a hearing on the Petition for Name Change, if required by the

specific Judge hearing the case. In most cases, if a hearing is

required, it is set on the Court’s prove-up calendar and lasts no

longer than fifteen (15) minutes.

When parents’ desire to change a child’s name by agreement, the process is

relatively straightforward and usually granted. The request still has to be

published like an adult name change, but there is little chance that the Court

will not approve the request.

The more difficult situation is when parents disagree regarding changing the

child’s name. The statutory authority comes from NRS 41.291 through

41.299. The steps for changing the child’s name are as follows:

1. File a Petition including the current name, desired name change,

the reason for the change, the name and address of the other parent,

whether the child has been convicted of a felony. It is important to

understand that when the child is over the age of fourteen (14), the

child is required to consent to the name change. Also, consent of

the other parent is required or the other parent must be personally

served with the Petition.

2. Request a Notice that is published in a newspaper of general

circulation if the other parent cannot be located for the purpose of

service of the Petition for Name Change.

3. Set a hearing on the Petition for Name Change, if required by the

specific Judge hearing the case. In most cases, if a hearing is

required, it is set on the Court’s prove-up calendar and lasts no

longer than fifteen (15) minutes.

In 2017, the Supreme Court ruled in Petit v. Adrianzen, regarding initial

name changes for children. The Supreme Court indicated that in a dispute

between parents the focus should be the best interest of the minor child. In

this specific case, the Supreme Court affirmed a decision issued by Judge

Ritchie which hyphenated the child’s name using both parents’ surnames.