Mississippi Name Change Petition
In Mississippi an adult files a name change petition in the Chancery Court of the county where they live under Mississippi Code Section 93-17-1, and unlike many states no newspaper publication is required. Attorney review available.
Introduction
A name change petition is the court document an adult files to legally change their own name, and once the chancellor signs the decree the new name becomes the person's legal name. In Mississippi the whole adult name change is built on one statute, Mississippi Code Section 93-17-1, which gives the Chancery Court, or the Chancellor in vacation, of the county where you live jurisdiction to alter your name upon your petition. Unlike states that run an order to show cause, Mississippi Code Section 93-17-1 does not require you to publish notice of the change in a newspaper, and it sets no fixed number of months you must have lived in the state before filing; the anchor is that you reside in the county where you file. Because the statute is a single jurisdictional grant, the chancellor can consider the petition and enter a decree without a separate publish then hearing wait. After the decree is signed, you use certified copies to update Social Security, your Mississippi driver license, and other records. DocDraft builds your Mississippi name change petition from your facts, with attorney review available before you file.
Key Things to Know
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A name change petition is the court document an adult files to legally change their own name; when the chancellor signs the decree, that new name becomes your legal name.
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You file the petition in the Chancery Court of the county where you reside, which has jurisdiction to alter your name upon your petition (Mississippi Code Section 93-17-1).
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Mississippi Code Section 93-17-1 anchors venue to the county of your residence and sets no fixed durational residency period, so there is no statutory minimum number of months you must have lived in Mississippi before filing.
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Unlike many states, Mississippi requires NO newspaper publication for an adult name change; Mississippi Code Section 93-17-1 contains no publication, notice, or order to show cause step.
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Because no publication is required, an adult name change under Mississippi Code Section 93-17-1 does not print your requested name in a newspaper the way order to show cause states do; the statute also creates no separate sealing scheme.
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The statute vests jurisdiction in the Chancery Court or the Chancellor in vacation, so the chancellor can consider the petition and enter a decree without waiting for a formal court term (Mississippi Code Section 93-17-1).
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After the decree is signed, order certified copies from the chancery clerk to update Social Security, your Mississippi driver license or ID, your passport, and other records. The filing fee is set by the chancery clerk, so confirm the current fee, and ask whether a poverty affidavit is available if you cannot afford it.
Key decisions before you file
Before you file a Name Change Petition in Mississippi, a few decisions shape the document: which option to choose and what each one means. The Name Change Petition guide walks through them.
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Mississippi Requirements for Name Change Petition
An adult name change in Mississippi is filed in the Chancery Court of the county where the petitioner resides. The chancery court, or the chancellor in vacation, of the county of the residence of the petitioner has jurisdiction upon the petition of any person to alter that person's name (Mississippi Code Section 93-17-1).
You file in the Chancery Court of the county where you live, because Mississippi Code Section 93-17-1 anchors jurisdiction to the county of the residence of the petitioner. Mississippi sets no fixed durational residency period for a name change; the requirement is that you reside in the county where you file, so state your Mississippi residence in the petition.
Mississippi Code Section 93-17-1 is a single jurisdictional statute and contains no newspaper publication, notice, or order to show cause requirement for an adult name change. Unlike states that require publishing an order once a week for several weeks before a hearing, Mississippi does not put your requested name in a newspaper as part of the process.
State your present legal name and the exact new name you are requesting, and ask the Chancery Court to alter your name from the one to the other under Mississippi Code Section 93-17-1. The chancellor changes the name from the present name to the proposed name in the decree.
State the reason for the requested name change in your petition. Mississippi Code Section 93-17-1 gives the chancery court broad jurisdiction to alter a person's name upon petition and does not list statutory grounds you must prove, so a clear, lawful reason such as marriage, divorce, personal, or identity reasons is what the chancellor considers.
Mississippi Code Section 93-17-1 does not itself set a fraud bar, but customarily state that the change is sought in good faith and not to defraud a creditor, evade a legal obligation, judgment, or criminal record, or for any unlawful purpose. A Mississippi court will not aid a name change sought for a fraudulent or unlawful purpose.
Because Mississippi Code Section 93-17-1 vests jurisdiction in the Chancery Court or the Chancellor in vacation, the chancellor can consider your petition and enter a decree without waiting for a formal court term, and the statute sets no separate publish then hearing waiting scheme. Confirm with the local chancery clerk whether the chancellor wants to see you in person.
After the decree is signed, order certified copies from the chancery clerk and use them to update Social Security, your Mississippi driver license or ID, your passport, and other records. The filing fee is set by the chancery clerk and varies by county, so confirm the current fee, and ask whether a poverty affidavit is available if you cannot afford it (Mississippi Code Section 93-17-1).
Frequently Asked Questions
A name change petition is the court document an adult files in Mississippi to legally change their own name. You state your present legal name and the new name you want, confirm you reside in the county where you are filing, and give the reason. Mississippi Code Section 93-17-1 gives the Chancery Court, or the Chancellor in vacation, of the county of your residence jurisdiction to alter your name upon your petition, and once the chancellor signs the decree the new name becomes your legal name.
In Mississippi you file a petition for change of name in the Chancery Court of the county where you live, under Mississippi Code Section 93-17-1, and pay the filing fee or ask the chancery clerk about a poverty affidavit. Mississippi does not require you to publish the change in a newspaper. The chancellor considers the petition and, if satisfied, signs a decree altering your name. You then use certified copies of that decree to update Social Security, your Mississippi driver license, and your other records.
No. Mississippi Code Section 93-17-1 is a single jurisdictional statute that lets the Chancery Court alter your name upon your petition, and it contains no newspaper publication, notice, or order to show cause requirement for an adult name change. That makes Mississippi different from states that require you to publish an order once a week for several weeks before a hearing. Because there is no publish step, your requested name is not printed in a newspaper as part of the Mississippi process.
An adult name change in Mississippi is heard in the Chancery Court. By statute, the chancery court, or the chancellor in vacation, of the county of the residence of the petitioner has jurisdiction upon the petition of any person to alter that person's name (Mississippi Code Section 93-17-1). File in the county where you live; filing in the wrong county can delay your case.
Mississippi Code Section 93-17-1 anchors the case to the county of your residence, so you file in the Chancery Court of the county where you live. The statute does not set a fixed durational residency period, meaning there is no statutory minimum number of months you must have lived in Mississippi or the county before filing; the key requirement is that you reside in the county where you file the petition.
Mississippi Code Section 93-17-1 gives jurisdiction to the Chancery Court or to the Chancellor in vacation, which means the chancellor can consider your petition and enter a decree without waiting for a formal court term. The statute does not set out a separate publish then hearing waiting scheme for an adult name change. Practice varies by chancery court, so confirm with the local chancery clerk whether the chancellor wants to see you in person.
Mississippi Code Section 93-17-1 grants the Chancery Court broad jurisdiction to alter a person's name upon petition and does not list statutory grounds for denial or a fraud bar. Even so, a petitioner customarily states that the change is sought in good faith and not to defraud a creditor or evade a legal obligation, and a Mississippi court will not aid a name change sought for a fraudulent or unlawful purpose. A lawful, complete petition is what the chancellor acts on.
Once the Mississippi chancellor signs the decree altering your name, order several certified copies from the chancery clerk. Use them to update your Social Security record first, then your Mississippi driver license or ID, your passport, and then banks, employers, and other accounts. Each agency has its own process, but the certified decree is the document that proves your new legal name. Keep at least one certified copy for your own records.