how do i change my childs last name to my last name

my b/f and i have been on and off for 2 years now. we had a baby boy in sept and broke up for good in oct. he barley sees my son or does anything for him. i was hesitate giving my son his last name but i did anyway. but now that were not together and not gonna be together ever again i want my child to have my last name. can i have it legally changed. his father signed the bc also. i livr in virginia not japan lol dont know how to change that.

You go to a lawyer. or the court house.

Most states, he will have to agree to the name change, and it costs money.

Go to the court house and get the paperwork for a legal name change. You might need the fathers permission then you just pay the fees and wait for the judge to approve it.

You'll have to petition the court (go in front of judge) with your request. I don't know what role the father plays in all that... I imagine he'll be notified in case he wants to challenge your request.

knew i should have weet with my instinct and gave him my last name. thanks everybody

If he doesn't see the baby he shouldn't really care if she changes the babies name. Do you have full custody?

Quoting Cheyenne [23weeks]:" If he doesn't see the baby he shouldn't really care if she changes the babies name. Do you have full custody?"

No but in most states he is still legally the father and unless his rights have been terminated he can fight it. If for no other reason than to be an ass.

You CAN change it... it can be a pain in the ass though. Give me a few and I'll type up my full experience of how I did it. I had to go to court twice to fight for a name change.

Usually you both have to agree on the name change and depending on his part in the childs life, you may need a lawyer. It isn't free.

You can fill out the form that is (usually) available online and have him sign it as well.

If he is unwilling to sign it, you have to petition the courts to have it changed.

My sister in law went through this with my niece. She ended up not being able to do it because he would have to give up his rights for her to do so and he wasn't willing to do it, even though he does not have much to do with his daughter. I'm not sure how it works in different states though, she lives in west virginia.

he only wants something to do with him when its convieant for him and thats a rare occasion. no i have not gona to file custody yet but i plan on it

Okay, so the quick history is my ex tried to kidnap Lily and hasnt been in her life since a week after her 1st birthday. So Kindergarten started and Lily was being called the "C" last name which was her fathers. She doesnt know her father, she doesnt really know the full story and didnt know back then at all. I requested the school to either not use her last name or use mine because we were going to change it. The school was always calling her "Lilyin T C" and we didn't even use that middle name anymore. Lily started to hide notes from the school that had the C name on it so I knew it bothered her.

Right before kindergarten we tried to get her name changed. The judge was a hooker. They said that we needed to put an ad in the paper to notify my ex of the court date since we dont talk and I dont have contact info for him. So we did just that. We ran an ad, went back to court. They said "Well we think more time needs to be given. Run it again." So we ran the first ad 6 weeks I believe, the second run was 4 weeks. So we go back to court, again. That bitch of a judge then says "You know, I dont think this is enough of a try to contact your ex, motion denied." So we paid for the smurfing ad to be ran, we followed THEIR directions, and they denied it. I was so pissed.

So near the end of Kindergarten we tried again because it was bothering Lily. This judge, bless her heart, was AMAZING. She told us to run the ad again and even told us the best paper to use. This ad was to try to "contact" Matt. We ran it, went back to court, and she said the motion to change the name was in transition. We then had to put up another ad to say that Lily's name was going to be changed and so all creditors need to know of the name change. Obviously it was a null point, but we had to do it. We then go back to court, motion was granted officially. So then we ran one more ad to inform everyone of the official change. Once that was done we were able to go to the courthouse and pick up the papers to make the change legal. We got a new birth certificate and stuff that day. My ex is still on the birth certificate but at least her name is changed.

You basically go to court, petition the courts to change a minors name, and if your ex agrees it's a done deal. If he DOESNT, the court can decide what is in the best interest of the child. It's not the end if he doesnt agree, the court may side with you.

thank u so much foe the info u have been really helpful