How to Fill Out and File the Tennessee Name Change Petition Form

To file a Tennessee name change petition, you fill out the form provided by the circuit, chancery, or county court in the county where you live, sign it in front of a notary, and submit it to the court clerk with the filing fee. The judge then holds a short hearing, usually within a few weeks, and signs an order granting the new name. There is no single statewide form, so the exact document and attachments depend on your county.

Where to Get the Right Form

Tennessee does not publish one uniform petition. Each court uses its own version, and submitting the wrong county’s form can delay your case. Contact the Clerk and Master’s office (for chancery courts) or the Circuit Court Clerk in the county where you live and ask for the current adult name change packet. Many counties post downloadable PDFs on their official websites. Robertson County, for example, offers its petition as a downloadable form.¹ Knox County’s Chancery Court takes a different approach, with a lobby kiosk that generates the documents when you appear in person.²

You must file in the county where you currently live. A court in another county does not have jurisdiction over your petition.³

What the Petition Must Say

Tennessee Code § 29-8-102 sets the statutory minimum: the petition must be in writing, signed by you, verified by affidavit, state that you are a resident of the county, and give your reasons for the change.⁴ County forms build on that framework and typically ask for:

Your current legal name, exactly as it appears on your birth certificate or current ID.
The full new name you want the court to authorize.
Your reason for the change. Personal preference, marriage, divorce, religious reasons, or correcting a spelling are all common and acceptable. A brief, honest explanation is enough.
Your date and place of birth.
Your current residential address, which establishes county residency.
A sworn statement that you have not been convicted of first- or second-degree murder, are not a registered sex offender, and are not seeking the change to evade debts or for any illegal purpose.¹

Fill in every field. Blanks tend to prompt the clerk to reject the filing or the judge to continue the hearing.

Documents to File With the Petition

Attachments vary by county. Rutherford County asks adult petitioners to include a copy of their birth certificate, a government-issued photo ID, and a copy of their Social Security card.⁵ Other counties require fewer or different attachments. Pull your county’s instruction sheet before you file so you don’t make a second trip for a missing document.

Signing and Notarizing

Do not sign the petition until you are in front of a notary public. The notarization is what verifies the affidavit under oath, as the statute requires. Any false statement in the petition can lead to denial of your request and potential perjury consequences, so read the form carefully before you sign and make sure every detail is accurate.

Filing the Petition and Paying the Fee

Bring the notarized petition, any required attachments, and your fee to the court clerk’s office. Under Tennessee Code § 29-8-103, the clerk’s fees match those of comparable civil proceedings and are paid by the petitioner.⁶ Actual amounts differ by county:

Davidson County (Nashville): $159.50, which includes two certified copies of the court order.⁷
Shelby County (Memphis): $166.50 in person, or $170 for a virtual hearing (the virtual fee includes mailing the order).⁸
Knox County (Knoxville): $237, with a 2.5 percent service fee on card payments.²

Most clerks accept cash and cashier’s checks. Personal checks are often refused; Davidson and Knox counties both prohibit them. Call ahead to confirm the current fee and accepted payment methods.

If You Cannot Afford the Fee

Tennessee courts allow you to request a postponement of filing fees by submitting a Uniform Civil Affidavit of Indigency, titled “Request to Postpone Filing Fees and Order” on the official state form. You describe your financial situation, and the judge decides whether you can afford to pay at that time. There is no fixed income cutoff. If the judge denies the request, you are entitled to a hearing to argue the point. Even when the request is granted, the court may still order you to pay costs at the end of the case.⁹

The Hearing

The clerk sets a hearing date after you file. Timing varies by county. Davidson County typically schedules hearings three to four weeks out.⁷ Shelby County hears petitions on the Thursday afternoon following filing and allows you to appear in person or by Zoom.⁸

Show up. Failing to appear almost always results in dismissal. The hearing itself is short: the judge reviews your petition, confirms the details, and checks that no fraudulent purpose lies behind the request. If everything checks out, the judge signs an order granting the change under Tennessee Code § 29-8-104.¹⁰

Getting Certified Copies

The signed order is your proof of the name change, and you need certified copies, not photocopies, to update your Social Security card, driver’s license, bank accounts, and other records. Two or three certified copies is a reasonable starting point since some agencies keep the copy you give them. Davidson County includes two certified copies in the filing fee.⁷ In other counties, you request additional copies from the clerk for a small per-page fee. Shelby County hands you the signed order at the end of an in-person hearing and mails it after virtual hearings.⁸

Who Cannot Use This Process

Tennessee Code § 29-8-101 permanently bars two groups from obtaining a legal name change: people convicted of first- or second-degree murder, and people required to register under Tennessee’s Sexual Offender and Violent Sexual Offender Registration, Verification and Tracking Act of 2004.³

If you have a felony conviction for any other offense, you can still petition, but the court starts with a presumption that your request is made in bad faith. You must prove by clear and convincing evidence that the change is not intended to defraud, is made in good faith, will not injure another person, and will not compromise public safety.³ That is a high evidentiary standard, and consulting an attorney before filing is worth considering.

If You Are Filing for a Child

The process for a minor follows the same basic path, but the form and documentation are different and the parental consent rules are strict. Both parents or legal guardians generally must sign the petition and appear before the judge. A step-parent cannot consent in place of a biological parent unless there is an adoption order or a termination of the other parent’s rights. Attachment lists are heavier too; Rutherford County asks for the child’s birth certificate showing both parents, both parents’ birth certificates and photo IDs, Social Security cards for the child and both parents, and a marriage license or certificate if the parents are married.¹¹

When only one parent files, the non-petitioning parent typically must be served with notice and given a chance to object. If you cannot locate the other parent, service by publication in a newspaper may be required. Filing a minor’s petition without proper notice to the other parent is a common reason these cases stall or get denied, so request your county’s minor name change packet rather than reusing the adult form.

1
Robertson County, Tennessee. Petition for Name Change
2
Knox County Chancery Court. Filing a Name Change in Knox County, TN
3
Justia. Tennessee Code 29-8-101 – Jurisdiction – Persons Ineligible – Inmates
4
Justia. Tennessee Code 29-8-102 – Application to Change Name or Correct Error in Birth Certificate
5
Rutherford County Chancery Court. Information Sheet for Adult Name Change in Rutherford County
6
Justia. Tennessee Code 29-8-103 – Clerk’s Fees
7
Davidson County Chancery Court. Information for Adult Name Change in Davidson County Chancery Court
8
Shelby County, TN – Official Website. Name Changes/Birth Certificate Corrections
9
Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts. Request to Postpone Filing Fees and Order
10
Justia. Tennessee Code 29-8-104 – Judgment
11
Rutherford County Chancery Court. Information Sheet for Minor Name Change in Rutherford County