The needs for a name change may be due to a divorce and taking back your maiden name. It can be due to an adoption or for a paternity determination and wanting the child to have the biological father's last name.
To legally change a name in Clark County Nevada Courts you need to follow the Nevada State Statutes and submit a Verified Petition with the reasons for the name change. The Petition filed in Clark County Nevada, must include the reason for the name change and state the specific facts.


A notice for publication is done for 3 consecutive weeks after filing the Verified Petition. If the applicant submits proof satisfactory to the court that publication of the change of name would place his personal safety at risk, the court shall not require the applicant to comply with the provisions of subsection 1 and shall order the records concerning the petition and any proceedings concerning the petition to be sealed and to be opened for inspection only upon an order of the court for good cause shown or upon the request of the applicant. Next, an Order along with the proof of publication needs to be submitted to the Courts. The Court will then either grant or deny the name change.

At McFarling Benson, our family law attorneys are experienced in dealing with the Clark County Courts on all family law issues, including name changes. If you would like to schedule a consultation with one of our attorneys in the Las Vegas, Nevada area, call our office at 702.565.4335. If you do not need a consultation we can set-up an immediate client intake.

The Nevada State Legislature's Statutes for the Proceedings to Change Names
Nevada State Legislature requires:

NRS 41.270 Verified petition. Any natural person desiring to have his name changed may file a verified petition with the clerk of the district court of the district in which he resides. The petition shall be addressed to the court and shall state the applicant’s present name, the name which he desires to bear in the future, the reason for desiring the change and whether he has been convicted of a felony.

NRS 41.280 When publication of notice is required.
1. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 2, upon the filing of the petition, the applicant shall make out and procure a notice that must: (a) State the fact of the filing of the petition, its object, his present name and the name which he desires to bear in the future; and (b) Be published in some newspaper of general circulation in the county once a week for 3 successive weeks.
2. If the applicant submits proof satisfactory to the court that publication of the change of name would place his personal safety at risk, the court shall not require the applicant to comply with the provisions of subsection 1 and shall order the records concerning the petition and any proceedings concerning the petition to be sealed and to be opened for inspection only upon an order of the court for good cause shown or upon the request of the applicant.

NRS 41.290 Order of court; hearing on objections; disposition and rescission of order.
1. If, within 10 days after the last publication of the notice no written objection is filed with the clerk, upon proof of the filing of the petition and publication of notice as required in NRS 41.280, and upon being satisfied by the statements in the petition, or by other evidence, that good reason exists therefor, the court shall make an order changing the name of the applicant as prayed for in the petition. If, within the period an objection is filed, the court shall appoint a day for hearing the proofs, respectively, of the applicant and the objection, upon reasonable notice. Upon that day the court shall hear the proofs, and grant or refuse the prayer of the petitioner, according to whether the proofs show satisfactory reasons for making the change. Before issuing its o rder, the court shall specifically take into consideration the applicant’s criminal record, if any, which is stated in the petition.
2. Upon the making of an order either granting or denying the prayer of the applicant, the order must be recorded as a judgment of the court. If the petition is granted, the name of the applicant must thereupon be as stated in the order and the clerk shall transmit a certified copy of the order to the State Registrar of Vital Statistics.
3. If an order grants a change of name to a person who has a criminal record, the clerk shall transmit a certified copy of the order to the Central Repository for Nevada Records of Criminal History for inclusion in that person’s record of criminal history.
4. Upon receiving uncontrovertible proof that an applicant in his petition falsely denied having been convicted of a felony, the court shall rescind its order granting the change of name and the clerk shall transmit a certified copy of the order rescinding the previous order to:
(a) The State Registrar of Vital Statistics for inclusion in his records.
(b) The Central Repository for Nevada Records of Criminal History for inclusion in his record of criminal history.