Name Change

My 12 year old son wants to change his last name. I have remarried (5 years ago), have known my spouse for 11 years. He is the only father that my son can remember. He wants this last name so that he can have the same last name as my daughter, spouse and myself.

My situation is my x-husbands name is on the birth certificate, he does have partial custody, but has not seen my son since he was two years old. My "X" has many times stated that he doen't want a relationship with him.

Can I have my son's name changed without it interfering with receiving child support.
Can I alter my son's last name say with a hyphen and my married name, without interfering with child support.
At worst when my son turns 18, can he have his name changed without parental consent. I live in Pennsylvania and not sure about the laws here.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

You won't be able to change your son's last name without the permission of his biological father. I am assuming that you two have joint legal custody. Legal custody, among other things, gives the parents the right to decide issues such as name changes, choice of religion, etc. So, the two of you may need to sign some legal document stating that you both agree to the name change. I am not sure what all your state will require. It should not be much nor complex. However, you really will need to check with a family law attorney near you on this. You can find one near you at attorneypages.com.

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Mark B. Replogle