NameRight provides procedural guidance, not legal advice.
Verify requirements with official courts and agencies. Full legal disclaimer
About
The NameRight editorial team researches, writes, and verifies legal name change guidance across all 50 U.S. states and D.C. Our team combines legal research expertise with lived community experience to ensure guidance is both accurate and sensitive to the needs of transgender, non-binary, and LGBTQ+ filers.
Our editorial commitment (E-E-A-T)
Our editorial team researches court filing requirements across all 50 U.S. states and verifies content against official court sources, state statutes, and agency policies. Each state page shows its verification status and last review date, and requirements can change — confirm with the relevant court or agency before filing.
Researches and verifies court application processes across all 50 U.S. states. Owns the accuracy of court filing procedures, petition forms, hearing requirements, and publication rules, and reviews every guide against official court sources before it ships.
Knows about
Tracks legal name and gender marker policy across all 50 U.S. states and D.C. Monitors statute changes, DMV policies, vital records rules, and agency guidance so state guides reflect current law — not outdated PDFs.
Knows about
Represents community needs in product and content decisions. Ensures guidance respects privacy and is sensitive to the lived experience of transgender, non-binary, and LGBTQ+ filers, and advocates for inclusive, accurate language across every guide.
Knows about
Assesses risk in hostile jurisdictions. Evaluates the safety implications of filing paths, publication exposure, and data handling for users in unsupportive states, and designs privacy-first workflows that protect people whose safety depends on discretion.
Knows about
Every guide is built from official court and agency sources — state statutes, court rules, DMV policy manuals, and vital records office guidance. Each guide cites its primary sources and is reviewed against them before publication.
We monitor policy changes continuously and re-verify each state guide at least quarterly. When a statute, form, or agency policy changes, we update the affected guide and note the review date.
NameRight is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. Our guidance reflects publicly available information; always verify current requirements with your local court or agency before filing, and consult a licensed attorney for advice specific to your situation.
Requirements can change and vary by county. Always confirm current details with the relevant court or agency before filing.
Explore state-by-state filing guidance or reach out with questions. A real person reads every message.