Kentucky Name Change Petition
In Kentucky an adult files a name change petition in the District Court of the county where they live, and Kentucky does not require newspaper publication of the change. Attorney review available.
Introduction
A name change petition is the court document an adult files to legally change their own name, and once the judge enters the order the new name becomes the person's legal name. In Kentucky you file the petition in the District Court of the county where you live (Kentucky Revised Statutes Section 401.010). A person residing on a United States Army post, military reservation, or fort may instead file in the District Court of an adjacent county under the same section. Kentucky does not require you to publish notice of an adult name change in a newspaper; Section 401.010 sets the whole adult procedure and contains no publication requirement, so the change is filed without newspaper publication. If confidentiality is needed for safety, the court may order the record sealed or otherwise restricted from public inspection, in which case the order is not certified to the county clerk for the public record (Kentucky Revised Statutes Section 401.040). After the order is entered, the clerk certifies a copy to the county clerk for record and the county clerk keeps an alphabetical index of the change (Section 401.040), and the order is entered on the court's order book (Section 401.030). You then use certified copies to update Social Security, your Kentucky driver license, and other records. DocDraft builds your Kentucky name change petition from your facts, with attorney review available before you file.
Key Things to Know
- 1
A name change petition is the court document an adult files to legally change their own name; when the judge enters the order, that new name becomes your legal name.
- 2
You file the petition in the District Court of the county where you live (Kentucky Revised Statutes Section 401.010). A person living on a United States Army post, military reservation, or fort may file in the District Court of an adjacent county.
- 3
Kentucky does not require newspaper publication of an adult name change. Section 401.010 sets the entire adult procedure and contains no publication requirement, so you do not publish notice in a newspaper.
- 4
You must be at least 18 to use this adult process, and you file in the county where you reside; Kentucky sets no fixed number of months you must have lived there before filing (Kentucky Revised Statutes Section 401.010).
- 5
For safety, the court may order the name-change record sealed or otherwise restricted from public inspection, in which case the order is not certified to the county clerk for the public record (Kentucky Revised Statutes Section 401.040).
- 6
After the order is entered, the clerk certifies a copy to the county clerk for record and the county clerk keeps an alphabetical index of the change (Section 401.040); the order is also entered on the court's order book (Section 401.030).
- 7
Order certified copies of the order from the clerk to update Social Security, your Kentucky driver license or ID, your passport, and other records. The filing fee is set by the court and a fee waiver is available if you cannot afford it.
Key decisions before you file
Before you file a Name Change Petition in Kentucky, a few decisions shape the document: which option to choose and what each one means. The Name Change Petition guide walks through them.
Open the Name Change Petition guideCustomize your Name Change Petition Template with DocDraft
Kentucky Requirements for Name Change Petition
An adult name change in Kentucky is filed in the District Court of the county in which the petitioner resides. Any person at least 18 years of age may have their name changed by the District Court of the county in which they reside (Kentucky Revised Statutes Section 401.010).
You must be at least 18 and file in the District Court of the county where you reside; Kentucky sets no fixed durational residency period (Kentucky Revised Statutes Section 401.010). A person residing on a United States Army post, military reservation, or fort may file in the District Court of any adjacent county.
Kentucky does not require newspaper publication of an adult name change. Kentucky Revised Statutes Section 401.010 sets the entire adult procedure and contains no publication requirement, so the petition is filed without publishing notice in a newspaper.
The petition should state your present legal name, your place of birth, and the exact new name you are requesting, so the District Court can change the name from the present name to the proposed name in its order (Kentucky Revised Statutes Section 401.010 and Section 401.030).
State the reason for the requested name change. Kentucky Revised Statutes Section 401.010 lets an adult change their name through the District Court for a lawful reason; the court enters the order changing the name.
State that the change is made in good faith and not to defraud a creditor, evade a legal obligation, judgment, or criminal record, or for any unlawful purpose. A court will not aid a name change sought for a fraudulent or unlawful purpose.
If confidentiality is needed for safety, ask the court to seal or otherwise restrict the record from public inspection; when the court does so, the order is not certified to the county clerk for the public record (Kentucky Revised Statutes Section 401.040(1)(a)).
After the order is entered, the clerk certifies a copy to the county clerk for record and the county clerk keeps an alphabetical index of the change (Kentucky Revised Statutes Section 401.040); the order is entered on the court order book (Section 401.030). Order certified copies to update Social Security, your Kentucky driver license or ID, your passport, and other records. The filing fee is set by the court and a fee waiver is available.
Frequently Asked Questions
A name change petition is the court document an adult files in Kentucky to legally change their own name. You state your present legal name and the new name you want, confirm you live in the county where you are filing, give the reason, and swear the change is not to defraud anyone or evade the law. After the District Court enters the order, that new name becomes your legal name (Kentucky Revised Statutes Section 401.010). Kentucky does not require newspaper publication of an adult name change.
In Kentucky you file a petition for change of name in the District Court of the county where you live, pay the filing fee or request a fee waiver, and ask the court to enter an order changing your name (Kentucky Revised Statutes Section 401.010). Kentucky does not require newspaper publication for an adult change. Once the order is entered, the clerk certifies a copy to the county clerk for record (Section 401.040), and you use certified copies of the order to update your records.
No. Kentucky does not require a newspaper publication for an adult name change. Kentucky Revised Statutes Section 401.010 sets the entire adult procedure, letting the District Court of the county where you reside change your name, and it contains no requirement to publish notice in a newspaper. Because there is no publication step, an adult Kentucky name change avoids the publication cost and delay that some other states require before a hearing.
An adult name change in Kentucky is handled by the District Court. By statute, any person at least 18 may have their name changed by the District Court of the county in which they reside (Kentucky Revised Statutes Section 401.010). A person residing on a United States Army post, military reservation, or fort may instead file in the District Court of an adjacent county. Filing in the wrong county can delay your case, so file where you live.
Kentucky requires you to file in the District Court of the county in which you reside, and you must be at least 18 to use this adult process (Kentucky Revised Statutes Section 401.010). The statute does not set a fixed number of months you must have lived in Kentucky or the county before filing; the key requirement is that you reside in the county where you file. A person living on a United States Army post, military reservation, or fort may file in an adjacent county.
Kentucky Revised Statutes Section 401.010 authorizes the District Court to change an adult's name and does not require a newspaper publication or set out a contested hearing; the District Court enters the order changing the name. Whether you appear in person and how the matter is scheduled are handled by your local District Court, so confirm the steps with the District Court clerk in the county where you file.
After the Kentucky District Court enters the order, the clerk of the court certifies a copy of the order to the county clerk for record, unless the court has ordered the record sealed or otherwise restricted from public inspection (Kentucky Revised Statutes Section 401.040). The county clerk keeps an alphabetical index that gives the name from and to which it is changed, and the order is also entered on the court's order book (Section 401.030).
Once the Kentucky District Court enters the order changing your name, order several certified copies from the court clerk. Use them to update your Social Security record first, then your Kentucky driver license or ID, your passport, and then banks, employers, and other accounts. Each agency has its own process, but the certified order is the document that proves your new legal name. Keep at least one certified copy for your records.