Does the father's name have to be on your baby's birth certificate if you are not married?

Question

I was dating this guy for a while and we broke up because he is an alcoholic. I do not want his name on the Birth Certificate. I only want it on the Doctor's records. Is there any way he can force me to put it on the Birth Certificate?

Answer 1

nope. it doesn't have to be on the birth certificate. however, he is the father and even if he is an alcoholic...he's still the father. your child has a right to have a birth certificate with his father's name on it.

Answer 2

Well, what if the doctor's records are lost or burnt up by some crazy drunk? You are assuming that nothing will happen to you, or your mind. But your mind could go, you might be run over, the hope is that you will not, but should you be the only person with that knowledge? Why not record the truth and move on?

Is there any reason not to? Will he have any rights? Will he be organized enough to pursue them? Sounds impossible for someone who boozes, so what do you have to lose? Isn't a blank the same as putting down "G. W. Bush" when that wouldn't be true? Your child did have a father. I think your child will grow up and expect to see in writing that you knew who fathered them, even if they have passed away since then and cannot be known personally.

Or what if your child has issues with alcohol? Shouldn't they know that they inherited this from the other side of the family, and not from your little secret habit that they never knew about?

I think you should reconsider. It's not like you are announcing a marriage or partnership in some social magazine. You are recording a simple and accurate biological fact. You know you don't want to be linked with an obnoxious drunk, and you are very wise to make that choice. You certainly don't want your child to be around him. That's the very best thing you can do. But it can happen that people who are even adopted become desperate to find their other parent later on. They look at photographs and imagine that person is their father. They join law enforcement and try to run DNA tests. They try to trace their ancestors and use their lives trying to fill that blank. I don't see why you would care either way who the biological father is. He won't be a good active parent, he isn't a good person, and you feel cheated. But why hide the name? Your child could grow up and meet and marry a close relative - or marry another child of the same alcoholic, otherwise. Why risk that?

Answer 3

absolutely not. Naming a child has no legal restrictions. Especially if you are not even married. There are many women who keep their own last names when they get married. it is the same with naming a child. you can give whatever name you want to to the child.
PS To answer for Nichole. Getting child support has nothing to do with what name is on the birth certificate. My sister's child has her last name and gets support from the father. A name is only a name. In order to get child support a DNA test may have to be done but you do NOT need to use the guy's last name. That is just a tradition. This is the new age. :)

Answer 4

you can put father unknown.
but if you put the father's name on the birth certificate, someday you can have his paychecks garnished for wages and collect child support.

I know you don't want the A to be the father, but think of the baby in the long run. If this dude gets sober, and has a job, he will have to pay up the ying yang, even if you don't tell him he's the dad for 6 yrs. cruel to do that. but it's happened to a couple of my guy friends, meeting their kids at age 15, and paying back child support, never knowing they were a father.

think.............. what is in the best interest in the long run?
are you just angry?
do you really want to put unknown on the birth certificate?
welfare will need the father's name

Answer 5

If he signs the Certificate of Paternity, his name will be on the birth certificate. But it has to be signed by both parents so if you dont want his name on it, dont sign it. I would suggest putting his name on the certificate though. It will make it easier for you if you ever want to go after him for child support. If hes not on it, then you're going to have to get a paternity test and all that before he has to start paying.

Answer 6

No it doesn't but if you want financial help you will have to put his name on the Birth Certificate for Child Support.

Answer 7

No his name does not have to be on it. Really you can put anyone's name on the birth certicicate but that does not make them the father just like you can give a kid whatever last name you want but it doesn't make it so.
You will have to put him on there if you want child support from him though. Talk to your county attorney about this.
Why would you want him on the doctor's records? and not the birth record?

Answer 8

no his name doesn't have to be on the birth certificate. my best friends lil boy has the same last name as she does and not his fathers last name. his father's name is on there as the father, but that's all. she put her last name as the baby's last name because the father, at the time, didn't want anything to do with her lil boy, so she didn't want her son to have his last name.

Answer 9

This is bad, because I'm a guy and I wouldn't want MY name from my own child's birth certificate. BUT, having said that if it's not against the law of your state, then you don't have to. and If it IS against the law if your state, you can always say you don't know the father by saying that you were promiscious.

Answer 10

No, tons of people don't fill out the father's info on birth certificates. If you want, you can always go back and add it