name change in NY

I have an 11 year old daughter my husband has raised for the past 10years. she would like to have her last name changed to my husbands last name. Her father's name is not listed on the birth certificate and he has not been involved in her life since she was about 6months old. I don't even know how to find him or get in touch with him. My husband also would like to have her name changed. What is the process to initiate this?

I went through a similar situation and (in Arizona) since there is no father listed on the birth certificate, all you would need to do is go to the Health and Human Services office and fill out a request for a duplicate certificate. When they call your name let them know that you want the information changed to reflect the father's name (your husband) and that you want the child's last name changed. You and your husband will need to sign a paper with the new information stating that it's correct and then they will issue you a new birth certificate. You can call your local Health and Human Services office to see if it's the same in your state.

Thanks but I failed to mention that my daughter was born in Germany. Would this have any bearing on utilizing NY States Health and Human Services division?

Does the bio dad pay child support? Does your current husband want to assume the responsibility of a dad--legally and otherwise? If so, think about adoption, not just a name change.

No, the biological father has not remotely been involved with her. today I spent three hours on the telephone attempting to contact someone in health and human services who could help me. I was transfered to Goshen NY where I was given a number in Albany NY. The Albany # gave me a number to call in Washington DC who gave me a number to the German embassy. All in all, no one knew how to deal with this particular issue of where she was born at in relation to either a name change or adoption by my husband. I NEED HELP! Can anyone help me?