change name

My son is 27 years old. My husband would like him to have our surname and my son would also. How does my son start the procedure to legally change his name?

Here's how it works in Indiana, and I suspect it's the same or similar in your state:

He needs to file a petition for name change with the clerk of the court where he lives.

He'll also have to run a legal notice ad that contains statutorily specified language about his intent to change his name.

Then he'll have a hearing at which time the judge will ask a few questions (such as whether he is doing the change for some fraudulent purpose), and then the judge will grant the name change.

Ta-da! New name.

He can probably do all this on his own, if he's the reasonably diligent sort who doesn't mind spending a little time in the library finding out how to do it.