Name Change for a Minor in Florida

The Florida minor petition, step by step

1. File in the right county. Chancery courts have jurisdiction to change the name of any person residing in Florida, on petition filed in the county where the petitioner resides (Florida Statutes section 68.07(1)). For a minor, the parent or guardian files in the county of residence.
2. Complete fingerprinting before the hearing. Before the hearing, the petitioner must have fingerprints submitted for a state and national criminal history records check, except where a former name is being restored. Fingerprints are taken as approved by the Department of Law Enforcement and submitted electronically for state processing, then to the FBI for national processing; the results, including whether the petitioner registered as a sexual predator or offender, go to the clerk. The cost is borne by the petitioner — or by the parent or guardian where the change is sought for a minor.
3. File a verified petition showing the required facts. The petition must show residence and domicile in the county, the child's date and place of birth where known, the parents' names, residence history, prior name changes, and the other facts the statute lists for a petitioner, including occupation and employment history and the civil-rights statement. The clerk instructs the petitioner on the fingerprint process when a criminal history check is required.
4. Serve the other parent where only one parent petitions. When only one parent petitions for a minor child's name change, process must be served on the other parent and proof of service filed in the cause. Where the other parent is a nonresident, the statute provides a constructive-service path — the petition should address service expressly rather than leaving it to the hearing.
5. Attend the hearing. The hearing may be held immediately after the clerk receives the criminal history results for petitions other than the restoration cases. A husband and wife and minor children may join in one petition; the children's names may be changed at the court's discretion, which means the court decides the children's names on the facts presented, not automatically with the parents'.
6. Take the order and update the records. The court order is the document every agency works from. Update Social Security first — the Administration states no deadline, mails a replacement card in 5 to 10 business days, and motor vehicle agencies check the name against the Social Security record. Then update the child's school, medical, passport, and other records with a certified copy of the order.

What Florida does differently

The fingerprinting rule is the distinctive feature: it runs before the hearing and it runs on the petitioner, with the parent or guardian bearing the cost for a minor's petition. The joint-petition rule is the second difference: one petition can carry the whole family, but the children's names change only at the court's discretion — a family petition is not a guarantee for the children. And the service rule is absolute in its form: one-parent petitions require service on the other parent with proof filed, not merely notice by letter.

For name changes in other situations, see the Name Change by Situation directory. For the court process for adults, see Name Change in Florida.

Source

Sources: Florida Statutes § 68.07, Change of name (chancery jurisdiction, county of residence, fingerprinting and cost rule, verified-petition contents, joint husband-wife-and-minor petition at court discretion, service on the other parent), read 2026-11-01 via the Online Sunshine text; Social Security record-update order and timing as stated in the on-site records-update guide, verified 2026-10-31. Facts verified 2026-11-01. Open flags: the constructive-service path for a nonresident other parent is stated in the statute text only in truncated form in the material opened and is not detailed here; no clerk fee figure is stated on the pages opened and none is carried — the clerk of the county court states the current fee.

This page explains how the process works and what the official rules say. It is general information, not legal advice. For a dispute about your specific situation, talk to your state court or a lawyer.