Maryland Name Change Laws: Rule 15-901 and the Circuit Court Petition

Maryland's general name-change procedure is unusual among the states covered in this guide because the procedure itself lives in a court rule rather than a statute. It is set out in Maryland Rule 15-901, adopted by the Supreme Court of Maryland rather than enacted by the General Assembly. The Maryland Code still governs that action in one decisive respect: Courts and Judicial Proceedings §3-2201 directs that on motion by an individual who has filed a Rule 15-901 name-change action, the court shall waive the rule's publication requirement. Divorce-related name restoration is codified separately in the Family Law article.

Some of Rule 15-901's exact current wording could not be independently confirmed against Maryland's own court website for this article, which returns access errors to automated requests. What follows states clearly what is confirmed from the Maryland Code, describes the Rule's procedure at the level secondary court-practice sources support, and flags where a reader should confirm specifics with the Circuit Court clerk before filing.

Information last verified on 2026-08-11. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

How to Legally Change Your Name in Maryland

An adult petitions the Circuit Court in the county where they reside, using form CC-DR-060 (Petition for Change of Name of an Adult); a minor's petition uses CC-DR-062. The filing fee is $165, and a standard indigency fee-waiver affidavit is available through the clerk, the same as for other civil filings. Some secondary sources describe additional venue options beyond county of residence, such as where the petitioner conducts regular business, is employed, habitually engages in a vocation, or was born, but that could not be independently confirmed against the Rule's official current text for this article. Confirm venue options with your Circuit Court clerk before filing.

What Maryland Rule 15-901 Requires

Because Rule 15-901 is a court rule rather than a Code section, Maryland's official court website did not return a directly verifiable copy of its current text during this article's research. Based on consistent, court-practice-oriented secondary sources, the Rule calls for one-time publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the county, at least 15 days before an objection deadline, and any person may then file an objection supported by an affidavit. That publication step is not fixed: Courts and Judicial Proceedings §3-2201 requires the court to waive it on the petitioner's motion, as explained below. Given that the remaining procedural details were not confirmed against the Rule's official text directly, readers should verify the exact venue rules and any restriction language with the Circuit Court clerk or at mdcourts.gov before filing, rather than relying on this description alone for case-specific decisions.

Minors

If the person whose name is to be changed is a minor, a copy of the petition and notice of the case must be served on the minor's parents and any guardian or custodian. Court practice applies a best-interest-style review, consistent with how Maryland courts handle other matters concerning a child, though the Rule's exact standard language could not be independently confirmed for this article.

Publication and Privacy

Publication is the starting point under Rule 15-901, but a petitioner does not have to accept it. Maryland Code, Courts and Judicial Proceedings §3-2201 reads in full: "On motion by an individual who has filed an action for change of name under Maryland Rule 15-901, the court shall waive the publication requirement under the rule." The word "shall" is mandatory, and the statute conditions the waiver on nothing except the motion itself. There is no eligibility test to meet and no showing of danger to make. A petitioner who files the motion is entitled to the waiver. The section was added by 2021 Senate Bill 581 (Chapter 507) and took effect October 1, 2021.

Sealing or shielding the case record is a different request with a different answer. §3-2201 reaches only the publication requirement, so a motion to limit inspection of the court file rests on the court's general authority over access to records and is decided at the judge's discretion. Someone with a safety concern, such as a domestic-violence survivor, should file the §3-2201 publication-waiver motion, which the court must grant, and should raise the safety concern with the court directly and early if a further sealing or shielding order is also needed.

Maryland has no confirmed statutory felony or sex-offender-registry bar on a name-change petition under Rule 15-901. Court-practice sources describe a felony record as making a grant less likely at the judge's discretion, but this could not be independently confirmed against the Rule's official text for this article. A petitioner with a criminal history should confirm the current standard with the Circuit Court clerk before filing.

Restoring Your Name After Divorce

Maryland Family Law §7-105 gives divorcing spouses a separate, more direct path. The court can change the requesting party's name to a birth name or another former name either in granting the divorce decree itself, or on a motion filed within 18 months after the final decree. The statute requires that the party took a new name at marriage and no longer wants to use it, that the party requests the change, and that the purpose is not illegal, fraudulent, or immoral. Importantly, §7-105 states explicitly that Rule 15-901's procedure for a name-change action does not apply to a change of name under this section, meaning a divorcing spouse skips the publication and objection process that a standalone petitioner faces.

Changing Your Name After Marriage

Maryland has no codified statute affirmatively granting a marriage-based name change. In practice, a marriage certificate is used administratively with the Social Security Administration and the Motor Vehicle Administration to update records, without a court filing.

Related Maryland Records

For related Maryland record searches, see Maryland marriage and divorce records, Maryland court records, and Maryland divorce laws for how the §7-105 restoration path fits into a divorce case.

Disclaimer

This article provides general information about Maryland name-change law. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Courts and Judicial Proceedings §3-2201 is quoted from the Maryland General Assembly's published statute text; Maryland Rule 15-901's exact current text could not be independently verified against mdcourts.gov for this article. Confirm current fees, forms, and procedure with your Circuit Court clerk or a licensed Maryland attorney before relying on anything here for a specific situation.

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Last updated: 2026-08-11. Fees and forms reflect their published status as of August 2026.