Richmond, Columbia, and Aiken County Name Change Process

Are you ready to change your legal name? Here are the steps required.

Legal Disclaimer

The information contained herein is for educational purposes only. It is meant to give general information to the public, not to provide specific legal advice. Information was accurate at the time of writing (April 18, 2022), but statutes and regulations change. If you have specific questions or concerns, please contact your local court or speak with a licensed attorney.

Name Change Process in Georgia

Be confident!

Please note that not all trans people wish to change their names, and it is NOT a requirement! First, make sure that this is something you want to do and that you are ready to change your name. Are you out, or ok with being out, to everyone who might come across your ID and notice a change? Georgia requires name changes to run in the local newspaper for about a month. They are hidden deep within the paper, but are you ready for that information to be published and potentially accessible to the general public? If so, let’s get started.

**If you wish to change your gender marker as well, Georgia requires either a court order or a doctor’s letter stating you’ve had any gender affirming surgery.

2. Create a PeachCourt account.

Register at https://www.peachcourt.com/

Select New Case
Select your county and Superior Court
Select General Civil
Name Change
Add Party (fill in with your info, select “Plaintiff”)
Slide “representing” bar to yes

3. Get the necessary forms.

Fill out the Petition to Change Name, verification, and notice of petition to change name forms, but they must be notarized, so don’t sign them until you are in the presence of the notary. These are all available online. Leave civil action number blank unless you already have one – generally you will be assigned one once you turn in the forms and the county clerk signs them.

The forms are relatively straightforward and only ask for your current legal name, current address, date and place of birth, what you want to change your name to, and why you want to change your name. Something like “It is what my friends call me, and it aligns more with my identity” or “It aligns with my gender identity” would be acceptable.

**A 2017 court case in Columbia County ruled that a judge denying a name change as part of gender transition would be legally considered abuse of discretion. As such, a denial is now extremely unlikely to occur in the State of Georgia, as the decision would be easily overturned. We have the right to change our names.

Other forms, such as the notice of filing of petition and summons, will be filled out and signed by the county clerk.

It would be a good idea to make a copy of all forms before you turn them in, a well lit photo on your phone would be better than nothing.

Richmond County forms can be downloaded here.
Columbia County forms can be downloaded here.

4. Publish.

In Georgia, it is required to have a notice of your name change run in the local newspaper for 4 weeks. It will appear at least one time a week and will show your old and new name together. There is a publishing fee ($80 in Richmond County, $85 in Columbia County) that you will pay when you bring in your completed forms. Once your name change has appeared in the paper for four weeks, an affidavit will be uploaded to your PeachCourt account – this is proof that your publishing period is complete and you can now schedule your court hearing.

5. Hearing.

On the day of your hearing, be sure to arrive early. Dress nicely – go for business casual if you can, but you won’t be kicked out for wearing the wrong outfit. Head to your assigned courtroom and bring all forms required. During the hearing you will likely wait your turn to speak before the judge. The judge may ask some questions before deciding to grant your name change, but as stated previously, your answers should not impact their decision. You will receive a certified copy of the court order granting your name change.

6. Congratulations!

Keep the copy/copies of your court order safe and take time to celebrate! Next, head to the Social Security Office, DMV, banks, etc. to update your IDs and records with the correct name. See the Updating Records page for more information. The court order will serve as proof and most places require an original document instead of a photocopy. You will be able to purchase more original documents from the courthouse for a small fee if needed.