Changing Your Name
Section 40-8-1 — a petition to the district court at fourteen or older
A resident fourteen or older may petition the district court of the district where they live and, if no sufficient cause is shown against it, have their name changed or established by order. Legal parents or guardians petition for a resident under fourteen.
Who handles this in New Mexico: New Mexico Courts HelpLine; and legal aid programs, lawyer referral and the state offices, listed in the New Mexico directory.
If the court finds that notice to a parent or guardian of a child under fourteen would endanger the child's or the applicant's safety, it does not require the notice, and the records are sealed, opened only by court order on good cause or at the applicant's request.
Sources for this section (1)
- NMSA 1978, § 40-8-1 — Change of name; petition and order
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of November 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed New Mexico attorney.