Family & Safety

In Illinois, a child’s name can be changed through a legal process in court. This allows a parent or guardian to ask a judge to give a child a new legal name.

People usually start this process when they want to:

• Update a child’s last name,
• Change a child’s first or middle name, or
• Make legal papers match the name the child uses every day.

A judge must look at every request. The steps can change depending on the child’s situation and the people involved.

Learn more about changing a child’s name.