To change a child’s last name in PA, a parent or legal guardian files a petition in the Court of Common Pleas in the county where the child lives, publishes notice in two local newspapers, gives notice to the other parent, and appears at a hearing where a judge decides whether the change serves the child’s best interest. Once the judge signs the decree, you use certified copies to update the child’s Social Security card, birth certificate, and other records. Start to finish, most cases take several weeks to a few months.
Who Can File and Where
Only a parent or a court-appointed legal guardian has standing to petition. File in the Court of Common Pleas in the county where the child actually lives, and that residence must be genuine rather than temporary.1Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code 701 – Court Approval Required for Change of Name If the family recently moved, file in the county of the current permanent home.
When You May Not Need a Separate Petition
If a parent is legally changing their own surname, the child in that parent’s care automatically takes the new surname unless the court orders otherwise.2Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code 54 – Names In that situation a standalone petition for the child may be unnecessary. The rest of this article covers the standalone process for changing only the child’s name.
What the Petition Must Include
The petition must state the child’s current legal name, the proposed new name, the reason for the change, the child’s current address, and every address where the child has lived during the previous five years.1Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code 701 – Court Approval Required for Change of Name Most counties post a standardized form through the Prothonotary’s office or the court’s website. Montgomery County, for example, provides a fillable PDF that walks you through each required field.3Montgomery County Pennsylvania. Petition for Name Change
Accuracy matters. Missing a prior address or being inconsistent about the child’s legal status can stall the case or lead to dismissal. If you’re unsure about dates at previous addresses, dig up old leases, utility bills, or school enrollment paperwork before you fill in the form.
Fingerprints for Children 13 and Older
Pennsylvania generally requires fingerprints and a Pennsylvania State Police background check before the court will approve a name change.4Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code 702 – Change by Order of Court Children 12 and under are exempt.5New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. Pennsylvania Code 5105 – Fingerprinting of Children If your child is 13 or older and this is a standalone petition rather than part of an adoption or a parent’s name change, the child will need to be fingerprinted.
The petitioner pays for the records check, and results often take several weeks. The court will not schedule a hearing until the background check clears, so build that wait into your timeline.
Filing Fees
Once the petition is complete, file it with the Prothonotary or Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas. The clerk assigns a docket number that stays with the case throughout. Most counties require in-person filing, though some accept mail.
Fees vary by county. Centre County charges $156, and Lebanon County’s total is $206.75 for 2026.6Lebanon County. Civil Fee Schedule 2025, 2026, 2027 Expect the statewide range to fall roughly between $150 and $300. If you can’t afford the fee, you can file to proceed in forma pauperis, which requires disclosing your income and expenses to show financial hardship.
Newspaper Publication
Pennsylvania law requires you to publish notice of the petition and the hearing date in two newspapers of general circulation in the county where the child lives. One of the two can be the county’s official legal notices paper.1Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code 701 – Court Approval Required for Change of Name The legal paper is an option, not a requirement; both notices can run in regular newspapers.
After the notices run, the newspapers issue affidavits of publication. Bring those affidavits to the hearing. Without them, the court will not proceed. Publication typically adds a couple hundred dollars to the total cost.
Safety Waiver
If publication would put the child or petitioner in danger, the court can waive it. The statute allows a waiver where notice “would jeopardize the safety of the person seeking the name change or his or her child or ward.”1Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code 701 – Court Approval Required for Change of Name This exception exists for domestic violence survivors, stalking victims, and others facing credible threats. When granted, the court also seals the file so no one can access the petition, proceedings, or order without a later court order for good cause. Raise a safety concern as early as possible, before any notice goes out.
Notifying the Other Parent
If only one parent files, the other parent must be notified. Pennsylvania does not require the other parent’s consent, but they must receive notice and have the chance to appear at the hearing.7Luzerne County. Petition and Orders for Name Change of a Minor Many counties, including Bucks County, require service by both regular mail and certified mail with return receipt requested to the non-petitioning parent’s last known address.8Bucks County. Petition for Changing the Name of a Minor
The petition should list the other parent’s address. If that parent is deceased, expect to provide a death certificate. If they cannot be found after a reasonable search, explain what you did to locate them. Judges handle absent-parent situations routinely, but ignoring the issue will stall the case.
The Hearing and the Best-Interest Standard
At the hearing you appear before a Court of Common Pleas judge and present your affidavits of publication, proof of service on the other parent, and background check results if required. The judge confirms the change isn’t being sought to evade debts, criminal charges, or other obligations.
For a child, the controlling standard is the best interest of the child, and the petitioner carries the burden of proof. Courts weigh factors like the strength of the bonds between the child and each parent, whether the current or proposed name carries social stigma or respect in the child’s community, and, if the child is old enough, the child’s own understanding of what changing the name means. A parent’s wish to share a surname with the child, by itself, doesn’t meet the burden.
When both parents agree and nothing else is amiss, the hearing is quick. The judge signs a decree, which is the official order legally establishing the new name. Ask the clerk for several certified copies right away, because you’ll need them for every record update, and returning later for more costs time and money.
Updating Records After the Decree
The decree doesn’t automatically flow through government databases. You update each record yourself, and the order matters.
Social Security Card
Start with the Social Security Administration. Submit the court order (an original or certified copy, not a photocopy), an identity document for the child such as a passport or school ID, and proof that you have custody or responsibility for the child.9Social Security Administration. Learn What Documents You Will Need to Get a Social Security Card All documents must be originals or agency-certified copies. Notarized photocopies won’t be accepted. If more than four years have passed since the name change, you may also need an identity document showing the child’s old name.
Birth Certificate
Contact the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s Division of Vital Records to amend the birth certificate. You’ll submit the certified decree with the department’s amendment request form. A standard birth certificate copy costs $20 plus a $10 processing fee, and the amendment itself may involve additional charges. Check the Department of Health website for the current forms.
Tax Records
The IRS matches the name and Social Security number on your return against SSA records. If you claim the child as a dependent, use whichever name is currently on file with the SSA when you file. If the Social Security card is already updated, use the new name; if the SSA hasn’t processed the change yet, use the old name to avoid a processing delay.10Internal Revenue Service. Name Changes and Social Security Number Matching Issues
School, Medical, and Insurance Records
Bring a certified copy of the decree to the child’s school, pediatrician, dentist, health insurance carrier, and any other institution that holds records under the old name. Schools usually update quickly with a court order in hand. Insurers often want a phone call or written request. Handling these updates in a batch during the first week or two after the decree keeps the child from having different names in different systems.