how can i change my name?

Question

im adopted and i want to change my adopted name to my real name. and i dont know how.
also i want to be called by my real middle name instead of my real first name. how do i do this. where do i go to do this. i live in california. im almost 21. i dont know what to do.

Answer 1

It might be good to ask that in the legal category instead of of people whose interest is researching dead ancestors.

Answer 2

I've heard its not hard if you have the right info, I'm planning to change my name soon too. Go to the main court there and they should have a section on name changes and marraige licenses. I'm sure they'd be able to help with the steps, it takes several steps and some processing fees but hopefully not too hard. Also, there are wbsites that claim they give you all the necessary papers and tips to complete it easier (some done by mail), I'd be careful how helpful they are though.
Try these before contacting a lawyer, unless you want to pay thousands for changing a name

Answer 3

I have a couple questions for you about this. Do you have any type of relationship with your birth parents?? If so, is it a good one?? The reason I'm asking is kind of hard to explain, but I feel if your birth parents did not want you before you were born and you have no real relationship now, why on earth would you want to hurt your adoptive parents this way?? Were you adopted as a baby or as an older child?? If you were adopted as a baby, I ask you to think about this--your real parents were not there to see your first steps, your first tooth, hear your first words, or see you off to your first day at school. They did not see you graduate from high school or even possibly college. They did not meet your friends. They didn't know what made you happy or sad, what your favorite color was, or even what kind of personality you have.
Your adoptive parents WERE there, good times and bad. They had enough love that they chose YOU above all others to adopt. They gave you THEIR name because of this love. They had/have dreams for you, want you to succeed in life, want to be grandparents to your kids someday. So now, at almost 21, you want to cut out their heart by wanting to use your "real name". If you were adopted as a baby, the name they gave you IS your "real" name--a name they chose especially for you. Their last name is one you should honor, not throw in the gutter just because you were "adopted."
The reason I say all this is because my mother remarried when I was 2 1/2. My step-father did not legally "adopt" me but he--and his entire family--let me use his last name with no questions asked. It's his last name that is on all my legal papers, all my school records, all my medical records, etc. I knew I had a "real" father, but he didn't care enough about me to see me go to school, see my college graduation (let alone move me in and out of the dormitory 8 times over 4 years). My step-father did, however.
My "real" father did not even want to tell me I had some half-brothers that I might have been able to meet, and he did not even want to SEE me until he was on his death bed. But, you know something?? I never grieved for him because of all this. My step-father suffered with lung/throat cancer for over 4 years before he died in 1989--almost 20 years ago--and I STILL grieve for him.
ANY man can be a father, but it takes a special man to be a DAD. So, change your name if you must (any lawyer can help you), but think of the Dad you are hurting.

Answer 4

You have to get a Lawyer and go to court to change it call a laywer also the min age is 18 so you'll be ok

Answer 5

Go to Court
Pay Lots of Money

Answer 6

Check out these websites...

http://www.uslegalforms.com/changeofname/
http://www.soyouwanna.com/SITE/syws/changename/changenameFULL.html