(a) Petition. Every action for change of name shall be commenced by filing a verified petition entitled in the name of petitioner, showing the name which petitioner desires to adopt and setting forth the reasons for requesting a change of name.
Rule 84.Change of Name.
Last amended January 1, 2023 · Last verified July 6, 2026
In one sentenceRule 84 sets the procedure for a court-ordered change of name — the verified petition, the weeks of public notice before a hearing, the judgment's effective date and follow-up posting, and the added protections when the petition is for a minor child.
Full Text of Rule 84
(b) Notice of Application. The court by order shall set a date for hearing not less than 40 days after the date of the order. Unless otherwise ordered by the court based on the petitioner’s personal safety concerns, notice of the filing of the petition with a statement of the relief sought therein and the date of hearing thereon shall be continuously posted for four consecutive weeks prior to the date of the hearing on the Alaska Court System’s legal notice website. Proof of posting to the legal notice website shall be made as prescribed in Rule 4(e)(6)(A). In its discretion, the court by order may also require the posting or publication of the notice as prescribed in Rule 4(e)(3). Proof of publication shall be made as prescribed in Rule 4(e)(6)(B), (C) or (E).
(c) Judgment -- Notice -- Filing. If satisfied that there is no reasonable objection to the assumption of another name by petitioner, the court shall by judgment authorize petitioner to assume such other name after a time to be fixed in the judgment, which shall not be less than 30 days after the date shown in the clerk's certificate of distribution on the judgment. Except in cases where notice is not required under subsection (b), within 10 days after the date shown in the clerk's certificate of distribution on the judgment, a copy thereof shall be posted on the Alaska Court System’s legal notice website for one week. Proof of posting to the legal notice website shall be made as prescribed in Rule 4(e)(6)(A). The court may also require publication of a copy of the judgment as provided in subdivision (b). Within 20 days after the date shown in the clerk's certificate of distribution on the judgment, proof of publication shall be filed with the clerk. The petitioner may then submit a certificate to be issued by the clerk stating that the judgment has been entered and that all requirements for posting a copy of the judgment have been met.
(d) Applicability. This rule shall not apply to restoration of a prior name sought in a complaint for divorce or in a petition for dissolution of marriage.
(e) Change of Name for Minor Child. An action for change of name for a minor child will be commenced by the filing of a verified petition in the name of a parent or guardian on behalf of the minor child, showing the name which the petitioner desires the child to assume and setting forth the reasons for requesting the change of name. No petition will be heard unless written consent to the petition is filed by both the child’s legal parents and the child’s legal guardian (if any), or unless proof of service is filed with the court showing that the child’s parent(s) and legal guardian(s) have been served with a summons and a copy of the petition at least 30 days prior to the date set for hearing. Service of the petition and summons will be in accord with the provisions of these rules applicable to the service of a complaint and summons. The summons must advise the recipient of the date set for hearing on the petition.
If the court receives an objection to the proposed name change presented by a parent and/or legal guardian of the child prior to or at the time of the hearing on the proposed name change, the court shall consider the objection and shall only grant the name change if the court finds the name change to be in the best interest of the child. The court shall also consider the desires of a child old enough to express the same in determining whether a requested name change will be granted.
The requirements of (b) and (c) of this rule apply to a change of name proceeding brought under this section.
Amendment History
(Amended by SCO 49 effective January 1, 1963; by SCO 56 effective November 1, 1963; by SCO 252(2) effective September 22, 1976; by SCO 542 effective October 1, 1982; by SCO 554 effective April 4, 1983; by SCO 624 effective June 15, 1985; by SCO 671 effective June 15, 1986; by SCO 999 effective January 15, 1990; by SCO 1772 effective February 23, 2012; by SCO 1834 effective October 15, 2014; and by SCO 1990 effective January 1, 2023)
Notes
Note: Chapter 44, SLA 2022 (HB 325) enacted changes to name change proceedings for certain individuals. According to section 22 of the Act, provisions in sections 1 (amending AS 09.55.010) and 15 (amending AS 25.24.165) of the Act have the effect of changing Civil Rule 84, effective January 1, 2023, by establishing specific parties that must be notified and findings that must be made by the court when certain persons petition for a change of name.
Note: A petitioner may file a motion or the court may act on its own motion under Administrative Rule 37.6 to have the case and case record made confidential based on the petitioner’s personal safety concerns. The petitioner or court may also request under Administrative Rule 40(b) or (c) that the presiding judge substitute pseudonyms for the petitioner’s current and requested names on the public index of cases.
Note: The Alaska Court System’s legal notice website, referenced in subsections (b) and (c) of this rule is found on the Alaska Court System Website at: http://www.courts.alaska.gov/.
Plain-English Summary
A name-change action starts with a verified petition in the petitioner's own name stating the desired new name and the reasons for the change. The court sets a hearing date at least 40 days out, and notice of the petition and hearing is posted continuously for four weeks on the Alaska Court System's legal notice website before the hearing — unless the court excuses posting because of the petitioner's personal safety concerns — with publication also available at the court's discretion. If the court finds no reasonable objection to the name change, it enters a judgment allowing the change effective no sooner than 30 days later, and (except where notice wasn't required) a copy of the judgment is posted for a week and proof of publication, if ordered, is filed within 20 days; the petitioner can then get a clerk's certificate confirming all posting requirements were met. The rule doesn't apply to restoring a former name as part of a divorce or dissolution.
A name change for a minor child is commenced by a parent or guardian's verified petition on the child's behalf. The court won't hear the petition unless both legal parents and any legal guardian consent in writing, or the child's parents and guardians are served with a summons and the petition at least 30 days before the hearing. If a parent or guardian objects, the court considers the objection and grants the change only if it's in the child's best interests, and also considers the wishes of a child old enough to express them. The same notice-posting and judgment rules that apply to adult petitions apply here too.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much public notice does a name change require?
Notice of the petition and hearing date has to be posted continuously for four weeks on the Alaska Court System's legal notice website before the hearing, unless the court waives that because of the petitioner's safety concerns; the court can also require newspaper publication.
Can I change my minor child's name without the other parent's consent?
Only if you serve the other legal parent (and any legal guardian) with a summons and the petition at least 30 days before the hearing; the court then decides based on the child's best interests if there's an objection, considering the child's own wishes if the child is old enough.
When does a name change take effect?
The judgment sets an effective date at least 30 days after the judgment, and (unless notice wasn't required) a copy of the judgment then has to be posted publicly for a week before the petitioner can get a clerk's certificate confirming the change.
Source & verification. The rule text, Amendment History, and Notes are reproduced verbatim from the
official Alaska Rules of Civil Procedure (Alaska R. Civ. P. 84). Prescribed by the Supreme Court of Alaska (Alaska Const. art. IV, § 15). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 6, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: change of name Alaska ruleminor child name change Alaskapetition for name change Alaska courtAlaska R. Civ. P. 84