<Li> to change legal name to one used in everyday life, (e.g. where middle name has been used throughout life) </Li> <P> In the United States, state laws regulate name changes . Several federal court rulings have set precedents regarding both court decreed name changes and common law name changes (changing the name at will). </P> <P> Usually a person can adopt any name desired for any reason . As of 2009, 46 states allow a person legally to change names by usage alone, with no paperwork, but a court order may be required for many institutions (such as banks or government institutions) to officially accept the change . Although the states (except Louisiana) follow common law, there are differences in acceptable requirements; usually a court order is the most efficient way to change names (which would be applied for in a state court), except at marriage, which has become a universally accepted reason for a name change . It is necessary to plead that the name change is not for a fraudulent or other illegal purpose, such as evading a lien or debt or for defaming someone else . </P> <P> Applicants may be required to give a reasonable explanation for wanting to change their names . A fee is generally payable, and the applicant may be required to post legal notices in newspapers to announce the name change . Generally the judge has limited judicial discretion to grant or deny a change of name, usually only if the name change is for fraudulent, frivolous or immoral purposes . In 2004, a Missouri man succeeded in changing his name to They . The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that a name change to 1069 could be denied, but that Ten Sixty - Nine was acceptable (Application of Dengler, 1979); the North Dakota Supreme Court had denied the same request several years before (Petition of Dengler, 1976). </P>

Can a man legally change his last name