Massachusetts Name Change Petition

Introduction

Key Things to Know

1. 1

   A name change petition lets an adult take a new legal name by court decree; since November 25, 2025 Massachusetts no longer makes newspaper publication a default step, and the Probate and Family Court keeps the petition private unless it orders notice for good cause.

2. 2

   You file the petition in the Probate and Family Court for the county where you live, and the court grants the change unless it is inconsistent with public interests (Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 210, Section 12).

3. 3

   Newspaper publication is no longer a default step in Massachusetts. Under Chapter 210, Section 13 (in force since November 25, 2025), the court may require public notice only for good cause shown, and may then hear anyone who objects.

4. 4

   Massachusetts name change records are private by default: the petition, pleadings, and docket entries are segregated from public inspection unless the court for good cause orders otherwise or you request them (Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 210, Section 13).

5. 5

   Before entering the decree, the court requests a report from the commissioner of probation, the Massachusetts criminal-record (CORI) check, on the person filing the petition (Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 210, Section 13).

6. 6

   A hearing is not always required. The court may act on the papers, and a hearing follows only where the court, for good cause shown, requires public notice and someone to be heard (Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 210, Section 13).

7. 7

   After the decree is entered, the name it establishes is your legal name; order a certified copy to update Social Security, your Registry of Motor Vehicles 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.

Massachusetts Requirements for Name Change Petition

• Probate and Family Court in Your County of Residence

  An adult name change in Massachusetts is filed in the Probate and Family Court for the county where the petitioner resides. A petition for the change of name of a person may be heard by the probate court in the county where the petitioner resides, and the change is granted unless it is inconsistent with public interests (Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 210, Section 12).

• Residency and Venue

  You file in the Probate and Family Court for the county where you live (Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 210, Section 12). Massachusetts sets no fixed durational residency period for a name change; the requirement is that you reside in the county where you file. The petition states your current name, address, and the new name you are requesting.

• Public Notice Only for Good Cause

  Newspaper publication is not a default requirement in Massachusetts. Under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 210, Section 13 (in force since November 25, 2025), the court may, for good cause shown, require public notice of the petition and hear anyone who objects, so publication is now the exception rather than the rule.

• Records Private by Default

  The petition, all pleadings and papers filed with it, and the docket entries are segregated and not available for public inspection unless the court, for good cause shown, orders otherwise or you request them (Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 210, Section 13). An adult name change in Massachusetts is private by default.

• Present Name and Proposed New Name

  The petition must state your present legal name and the exact new name you are requesting. You file it with a certified copy of your birth record and certified copies of any prior name change by decree or marriage. On decree, the name it establishes becomes your legal name (Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 210, Section 13).

• Consistency with Public Interests

  State the reason for the change and that it is made in good faith. A Massachusetts court grants the change of name unless it is inconsistent with public interests, such as a change sought to defraud a creditor, evade a legal obligation or criminal record, or for another unlawful purpose (Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 210, Section 12).

• Criminal Record (CORI) Report

  Before entering a decree, the court requests a report from the commissioner of probation on the person filing the petition (Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 210, Section 13). This is the Massachusetts criminal-record (CORI) check; petitioners typically sign a CARI and Warrant Management System release (form CJP 34) so the court can obtain it.

• Certified Copies After the Decree

  After the decree is entered, the name it establishes is your legal name; order a certified copy from the register and use it to update Social Security, your Registry of Motor Vehicles license or ID, your passport, and other records (Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 210, Section 13). The filing fee is set by the court and a fee waiver is available.