The Best Name Change Services

Tuesday, March 21st

2023 Name Change Service Reviews

LegalZoom

• Cost: Starting at $139 for adult name change, $165 for minor name change

Most name change services only offer help if you're changing your name after a marriage or divorce, but not for any other reason. That's where our highest-ranked provider, LegalZoom, comes in. This service can help you legally change your name - or obtain a name change for a minor - by walking you through all of the required steps to file with the court in your state, get a hearing date, publish your name change and have it granted by the court.

2 Name Change Packages To Choose From

LegalZoom has two name change packages: adult and minor. Simple, right? You'll pay $139 for the former and $165 for the latter. Each package includes the following:

• Comprehensive name change documents, prepared specifically for your state of residence
• Instructions for filing documents with the proper court, if necessary, plus the court filing location and corresponding information
• Checklist of government agencies and financial institutions to notify once your name change is finalized (by marriage, divorce, or other reasons)
• Peace of Mind Review: a personal review (done by an actual person, not just a computer) to make sure your documents are complete, consistent, and accurate

100% Satisfaction Guarantee

You also get LegalZoom's lifetime customer support and 100% satisfaction guarantee: if you're unhappy with their name change service for any reason, they'll work with you to fix the problem at no extra charge - or refund your fees.

More Than Just A Simple Name Change

One thing to note: this service might be overkill if you are just doing a simple name change due to marriage. Why? You've already fulfilled the legal requirements for changing it (a marriage license and finalized wedding), so you don't need to have a hearing date or publish your information to make it official. In that case, you might want to save some cash and go with one of the other highly-rated services in our review.

Most Comprehensive Option

That's not to say you can't use LegalZoom to change names after your wedding - and if your marriage or your name change go beyond the traditional bride-takes-on-groom's-name situation, you might find that LegalZoom is the most comprehensive, reliable option. Some name change services are very clear that they don't specialize in hyphenating both spouses' last names, same-sex couples, grooms taking on their brides' surnames, and so forth. While LegalZoom will cost a little more, you'll have the added reassurance that everything has been taken care of, double-checked, and is guaranteed to meet all of the legal requirements in your state.

Highest Recommendation

LegalZoom isn't the cheapest name change service out there, but it's definitely the most thorough - and offers the broadest array of options for legally taking on a new name. In business for nearly two decades, and with accreditation and an "A+" rating from the Better Business Bureau, it's easy to see why LegalZoom earns our highest recommendation for name change services for every possible client situation.

NewlyNamed

• Cost: From $39 to $89

Minnesota-based NewlyNamed was created by Colie Christensen in 2019, making this name change service one of the freshest in the industry. Featured in Fortune Magazine and with plenty of positive reviews from around the country, this platform is one of the easiest to use if you need to change your name.

2 Name Change Packages

There are two package options here, and the only difference is if you want your documents printed and sent to you with prepaid mailing envelopes, or if you prefer to print everything yourself and take care of the mailing supplies. You'll pay $39 for the DIY package and $89 for the printed-and-posted selection - so it's up to you to determine if the convenience and postage are worth the extra $50.

Name Change Package Features

Both packages offer the following features:

• Auto-filled Applications
• Online Document Access
• Step-by-Step Instructions
• Customer Support

Many Places Where Your Name Should Be Changed

We appreciate that NewlyNamed gives you an idea of exactly which places they include in their name change instructions. We spotted the typical ones like Social Security, US passport, and driver's license, but there were quite a few we never thought of (TSA Precheck, hotel and airline loyalty programs, and even the IRS).

Should Work For Anyone

It took a lot of digging through the site, but we eventually found that NewlyNamed can be used by anyone changing their name because of marriage or divorce. This service doesn't offer options for court-ordered legal name changes or new legal first names. There also wasn't much clarification as to how NewlyNamed works for same-sex couples, just the statement that it "works for anyone as long as you have a certified marriage certificate" and you follow the marriage laws of your state. If that applies to you and your significant other, we encourage you to check in with NewlyNamed before signing up, just to make sure they can meet your expectations with their service.

100% Satisfaction Guarantee

NewlyNamed offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you get your kit and aren't happy for any reason, you should have no problem getting a refund. But, chances are good that you'll be thrilled with this name change service: we found plenty of customers who raved about the lightning-fast customer service response (30 minutes or less!). Comparing that with rival services that often took days (...or weeks...or more!) to return an answer, NewlyNamed comes out way ahead.

Convenient And Affordable

Although you might be able to find a name change service for a little less money than NewlyNamed, you probably won't find one that offers the same attention to clients. You've got enough on your plate without having to chase down answers - or go searching for envelopes and stamps! NewlyNamed gives you all the help and convenience you need at an affordable price. This is one of our favorite choices in name change services.

Miss Now Mrs

• Cost: From $29.95 to $69.95

Miss Now Mrs is one of the original name change services for brides, with over a decade in the industry and a solid "A+" rating from the Better Business Bureau. This company estimates that you will spend at least 13 hours searching for the right state and federal forms and figuring out how, where and when to file them - or you can use their affordably-priced service and save yourself the trouble!

Scan Your Driver's License

One of the most novel features offered by this name change service is the ability to scan your driver's license and your husband's into the Miss Now Mrs app. You then tap on the answers to 15 questions, purchase your package, and you're good to go! You can even give it a try for free - no credit card needed. But, if you prefer not to download one more app on your phone, you can complete the process online too.

2 Options To Choose From

Miss Now Mrs gives you two paid options to choose from:

• $29.95 for a do-it-yourself package (you print out the forms and take care of the mailing supplies and postage)
• $69.95 for their comprehensive plan (they pre-print your envelopes and prepay the postage).

What You'll Get

Both tiers of service give you access to the most commonly-needed documents, like voter registration and USPS, along with notification letters for over 16 million companies and service providers. You also get all of the help you need from their "name change experts" if you come across questions you don't know how to answer or hit any snags with the process.

Lots Of Compliments

Users of this name change service give it a lot of compliments. From the ease of getting everything filled out online - 30 minutes or less, for most people - to the convenience of being able to get pre-addressed and stamped envelopes, they say it's well worth the money to have the entire process so streamlined.

Limited To Brides

The only reason Miss Now Mrs doesn't earn our highest ranking is because the service is limited strictly to new brides changing their last name. The top picks in the industry have options for people needing name change help after a divorce, couples wanting to hyphenate their last names, or who fall in the "Mr Now Mr" category. We wondered if that might have something to do with the fact that the site copyright was 2014 - and we think maybe Miss Now Mrs could use a little bit of updating to be more current with the times.

Great Choice

Other than that, this name change service gives you plenty of convenience for one of the most well-priced, tech-savvy platforms we've found. While it's true you'll need to look elsewhere if you need to change your name for reasons outside of the traditional girl-meets-boy marriage situation, for the vast majority of people looking to change their name after the wedding, Miss Now Mrs is a great choice.

HitchSwitch

• Cost: From $39 to $99

HitchSwitch is one of the newer name change services on the market, getting its start around 2013. More than 500,000 people have used this platform to save time and hassle when getting their names updated with government offices, businesses, and other services.

3 Name Change Packages

HitchSwitch offers three name change packages:

• Print at Home ($39): you'll get access to all of their available forms for changing your name, including voter registration, IRS Change of Address, TSA/Global Entry and many more. You'll fill out your information online and print out the forms yourself.
• Full Service ($69): The full service package adds two pre-stamped envelopes, email support, a customized name change checklist, and access to an additional database of places you may need to register your new name (e.g. streaming services, insurance, etc.).
• Platinum ($99): this top tier of service gives you two extra pre-stamped envelopes, a complimentary passport photo mailed to your address, and access to a personal name change concierge for priority email and phone support.

How Much Help Do You Need

As you can see, the only difference among the tiers of service is the amount of help you anticipate needing as you work through the process.

More Than You Might Think

With a name like HitchSwitch, you're probably thinking it can only be used for name changes after marriage. It's true that the majority of what you'll see featured and explained on the site is focused on that kind of name change. However, you can use this platform for other types of name changes (such as divorce and other situations). You'll follow a slightly different set of instructions, and you'll find those in the HitchSwitch FAQ under "Other Types of Name Change?" For example, instead of entering the date of your marriage certificate, you'll enter the date that your name change order was registered with the court.

Mixed Customer Reviews

What kind of feedback does HitchSwitch have from people who've used the service? On the one hand, the Better Business Bureau gives the company a perfect "A+" rating, as well as accreditation. However, in reading through client comments, we found several that described the platinum level of service as "not worth it" - confirming our thought that you can get concierge-tier attention for less money with several other name change services. Some users said they had a very hard time getting a response from HitchSwitch representatives, leaving them hanging and with their name still unchanged with many of their accounts.

Outdated Customer Testimonials

We also weren't impressed by the outdated customer testimonials on the HitchSwitch site. Even though it looks like a live feed from various social media channels, most of the posts were a year old or more. It left us wondering if this service is on its way out or has fallen behind other name change services in terms of popularity.

Better Choices Elsewhere

At the end of the day, HitchSwitch is a decent option for name change services, especially if you feel comfortable with the process and don't think you'll need much hand-holding from their customer service team. But, there are other options that give you more for your money - and seem to be staying more up-to-date as well.

Name Change Kit

• Cost: From $18.95 to $79.95

Name Change Kit has been around for over 20 years, helping people change their names for a variety of reasons. You'll find their services to be relatively low-tech compared with some of the providers in our review.

Several Name Change Packages

Unlike services that primarily cater to newly-married women who want to take on their husband's last name, Name Change Kit offers several different packages for various circumstances:

• New Bride Name Change Kit ($18.95 if you print it yourself, $28.95 + $4 shipping if you want it delivered by mail): this kit includes all of the instructions and forms you'll need for a traditional name change. It also includes labels for your envelopes, when you're ready to mail in your forms to the corresponding offices and companies.
• Newlywed ($19.95 for DIY printing, $39.95 + $4 shipping to get a kit in the mail): this package is for brides, grooms, or same-sex couples who want to change their names to one single last name or a hyphenated/combined surname. You'll get the same documents as the New Bride kit - but two sets!
• Divorce ($19.95 for DIY printing, $29.95 + $4 shipping for printed forms via mail): this package is for women who are changing their name after a divorce and indicated that intent within the decree.
• Legal Name Change Kit ($79.95 + shipping, only available for delivery and not DIY printing): name changes for all other reasons will need to be done with this kit. When ordering this package, you'll need to specify if this is for a minor, an adult, or for a family.

Print Out The Forms And Fill Them Out By Hand

No matter which one you choose, it's up to you to fill in the forms. Name Change Kit doesn't give you a preview of their documents or what the process looks like - so it's hard to say whether you'll be able to fill out any of the information online before you print them out for yourself (like we said, low-tech here).

Lack Of Customer Feedback

In its listing under Name Change Kit's parent company, KitBiz, the Better Business Bureau gives this service an "A+" rating. There were no complaints or reviews filed there, and only a handful of testimonials on the Name Change Kit site itself. In other words, the BBB rating is a good indicator that this service isn't a scam, but the lack of buzz about this service literally everywhere else is disappointing.

Less Convenient

Yes, you'll get all of the forms you need for your name change, but there are other services out there that add some higher-tech features for added speed and convenience (like being able to fill out all of your information online and print out your documents with those details prepopulated).

Trusted Service But There Are Easier Choices

We appreciate that Name Change Kit is competitively priced, and that they have packages that are appropriate for a wide range of reasons (and not just for brides taking on their grooms' last name). This is a trustworthy resource for your name change needs, but you might prefer a service with a few more bells and whistles for extra convenience and time savings.

Find Legal Forms

• Cost: From $12.95 to $19.95 for an instant forms download

Find Legal Forms has been in business for over two decades, providing easy access to legal documents for a variety of needs. All of their forms are attorney-prepared and kept up to date with respect to legal requirements in all 50 states. In fact, the service guarantees that your name change forms will be valid no matter where you live, and you've got a 60-day money-back guarantee for additional peace of mind.

Most Basic Service

Of all the name change services in our review, Find Legal Forms is the most basic. For a one-time fee ranging from $12.95 to $19.95, depending on which type of name change you need, you'll get access to an instant download of documents. These documents may include the following:

• Information and Instructions for the Name Change Packet
• Civil Cover Sheet
• Application for Change of Name
• Notice of Hearing Regarding Application for Change of Name
• Consent of Spouse/Parent to Name Change of an Adult/Other Parent and Waiver of Notice
• Affidavit of Service by Certified Mail
• Acceptance of Service
• Order Changing Name for an Adult

4 Types Of Name Change Services

There are only four kinds of name change forms on this site: Bride Name Change, Divorce Name Change, Name Affidavits, and general Name Change. We didn't see any forms for changing the name of a minor. All of the forms provided on this site let you sign online at no extra charge.

Good Overall Reputation

Find Legal Forms has a decent overall reputation, shown by an "A+" rating from the Better Business Bureau. However, there was only one review on the site for their name change kits, so it's hard to draw any conclusions about the effectiveness of the forms (especially since the user said they hadn't yet submitted the forms they purchased).

Least Amount Of Customer Support

However, this service also offers the least amount of customer support. If you have any questions about your name change documents, you'll have to submit your inquiry through Find Legal Forms' online contact page. There's no toll-free number, and apparently no other live assistance. Plus, compared with other name change services that walk you through the entire process online with a series of questions to answer, Find Legal Forms is decidedly "old school" - to the point of being outdated, quite frankly. For just a few dollars more, you can get a much more advanced package that includes the convenience of having your documents pre-filled when they come to you for signing.

Look For Something More

While there's nothing bad about using Find Legal Forms as your name change service, there isn't much to rave about either. We recommend that you consider the more robust options out there, to make the most of your time and money with a service that has more to offer.