Courts
Name change Nevada: how to change your name by court order
Name change Nevada law is simple at its core: outside of marriage or divorce, a new name takes a court order. You file a
petition with the district court where you live, publish a notice in most cases, and wait 10 days
for anyone to object. If no one does and the judge sees a good reason, the judge signs the order.
Here is how it works for adults and for children, from Nevada law.
First: do you even need court?
Maybe not. If you just married or divorced, Nevada lets you change your last name on your
license with the marriage certificate or divorce decree, within set choices (NRS 483.375(3)). Our
page on changing your name after marriage covers
those choices. In a joint (summary) divorce, the petition itself says whether either spouse wants
a former name back, and which one (NRS 125.182(2)(d)). For anything else, such as a new first
name or a brand-new last name, you need a court order.
Changing your own name (adults)
1. Write the petition. File a verified (sworn) petition with the clerk of the
district court in the district where you live. It must state your present name, the name you
want, why you want it, and whether you have ever been convicted of a felony (NRS 41.270).
2. Sign the fraud statement. The petition must include a statement, signed under
penalty of perjury, that you are not changing your name to commit fraud (NRS 41.270).
3. Fingerprints, if you have a record. If you have a criminal record, attach a full
set of your fingerprints, taken the way the Director of the Department of Public Safety requires
(NRS 41.270).
4. Publish a notice, unless an exception applies. After filing, you publish a
notice in a newspaper of general circulation in your county, at least once. It states that you
filed, your present name, the new name, and that you signed the fraud statement
(NRS 41.280(1)).
5. Wait 10 days. If no one files a written objection within 10 days after the
notice runs, or 10 days after you filed when no notice is needed, the court will order the change
once it is satisfied there is a good reason (NRS 41.290(1)).
When you do not have to publish
Your safety. If you show the court that publishing your name
change would put your personal safety at risk, the court must skip the newspaper notice. It must also
seal the case records. They open only by court order for good cause, or at your own request
(NRS 41.280(2)).
Gender identity. If your petition says the reason is to match your
name to your gender identity, the court cannot make you publish (NRS 41.280(3)).
If someone objects
If a written objection is filed in time, the court sets a hearing date with reasonable notice.
Both sides bring their proof, and the judge grants or refuses the change based on whether the reasons
are good enough. Before ruling, the judge must look at any criminal record you listed
(NRS 41.290(1)).
Changing a child's name
1. A parent files. Either parent may file a verified petition with the district court
clerk where the child lives (NRS 41.295(1)).
2. What it must say. The child's present name and new name, the reason, the child's
consent if the child is over 14, the other parent's sworn consent if they agree, the other parent's
name and address if known, and whether the child has a felony conviction (NRS 41.295(2)).
3. Tell the other parent. Unless the other parent's sworn consent is in the petition,
you must have a notice and a copy of the petition personally served on them (NRS 41.296(1)). If you
prove they cannot be served in person, the court may let you publish notice once a week for 3 weeks
in a row and mail it by registered or certified mail to their last known address (NRS 41.296(2)).
4. The order. The court orders the change, if it finds a good reason, when the other
parent consented, or when no written objection comes in within 10 days after service or the last
day of publication (NRS 41.297(1)). If they object, there is a hearing (NRS 41.297(2)).
Already in a divorce, custody or paternity case? You can ask for the child's name change inside
that case instead, following that case's notice rules (NRS 41.298). For a child in foster care, the
child's attorney files instead (NRS 41.2993), and the parent petition rules above do not apply
(NRS 41.299).
After the judge signs
The order is a judgment. It is recorded as a judgment of the court,
and your name is now the one in the order. The clerk sends a certified copy to the State Registrar of
Vital Statistics (NRS 41.290(2)). For a child, the same happens (NRS 41.297(3)).
Your license. You must ask the DMV to change your name on your
license after a court order. Use the DMV's form and bring an original or certified copy of the order
(NRS 483.375(1)-(2)).
Your birth certificate. On your request, with a certified copy of the
order, the State Registrar notes the change on your birth certificate (NRS 440.305). Our
birth certificate page covers ordering copies.
If you have a record. The clerk also sends the order, with your
fingerprints, to Nevada's central criminal history records (NRS 41.290(3)).
Do not lie on the petition
If the court later gets proof that you falsely denied a felony, or lied in the fraud statement, it
must cancel your name change. The clerk then tells the State Registrar and the criminal history
records (NRS 41.290(4)).
Key rules
| What | The rule | Source |
|---|
| Where to file (adult) | District court clerk where you live | NRS 41.270 |
| Newspaper notice | At least once, in your county | NRS 41.280(1) |
| Skip notice | Safety risk (records sealed) or gender identity | NRS 41.280(2)-(3) |
| Objection window | 10 days after notice, or after filing if no notice | NRS 41.290(1) |
| Child's consent | Needed if over 14 | NRS 41.295(2)(d) |
| Other parent can't be found | Publish weekly for 3 weeks and mail | NRS 41.296(2) |
| Child objection window | 10 days after service or last publication | NRS 41.297(1)(b) |
| DMV update | Required after a court order | NRS 483.375(1) |
Read 2026-11-09 off the Nevada Revised Statutes: chapters 41, 125 and 440 revisions
stamped 4/15/2026 (2025), and chapter 483 revision stamped 9/9/2026 (2026R1).
Good to know
Filing on your own? See going to court without a lawyer and
free legal help. For a custody case already open, see the
family law self-help page.
For petition forms, filing fees and fee waivers, check with the district court clerk where you live
directly. Call
211 if you need help.