My son was born and adopted in Las Vegas, Nevada. At that time, my husband and I hyphenated his last name. We would now like him to have only one last name, and drop the hypen. Do we have to do a name change or can we amend his birth certificate? If I need to change his name, do I do it where he was born or where we live? I want him to have his birth certificate from Nevada, not Kansas, where we now live. As the courts have his records, and have changed his birth certificate once, would the Family Court in Las Vegas do a simple amendment?

My son was born and adopted in Las Vegas, Nevada. At that time, my husband and I hyphenated his last name. We would now like him to have only one last name, and drop the hypen. Do we have to do a name change or can we amend his birth certificate? If I need to change his name, do I do it where he was born or where we live? I want him to have his birth certificate from Nevada, not Kansas, where we now live. As the courts have his records, and have changed his birth certificate once, would the Family Court in Las Vegas do a simple amendment??

Just so I'm understanding correctly: you are the party who adopted the child and now would like to change his last name. Is that correct?

At this point, I believe you'd need a court order to change the child's last name. Because of the fact that you no longer reside in Nevada, jurisdiction would lie in the Kansas court.

Is there a reason you're trying to change his name?

A birth certificate is a permanent record of where a person was born. You can't change that information, change his place of birth from Kansas to Nevada or the other way around.

If you want to change the birth certificate you have to file for that change in the State of his birth, and both parents have to consent.

You don't change your birth certificate because you now live in another State.

I would contact the Bureau of Vital Stastics where he was born and ask how complicated it is to change his name.

A birth certificate is a permanent record of where a person was born. You can't change that information, change his place of birth from Kansas to Nevada or the other way around.

If you want to change the birth certificate you have to file for that change in the State of his birth, and both parents have to consent.

You don't change your birth certificate because you now live in another State.

I would contact the Bureau of Vital Stastics where he was born and ask how complicated it is to change his name.

Granted, this is limited to Clark County in Nevada, but it still states you have to be a resident of Nevada in order to file for a last name change of a minor:
http://www.clarkcountycourts.us/shc/shc%20packets%20and%20documents/Packet%207.pdf
Am I reading it wrong?

I read this and couldn't believe my eyes. If I decide I'd rather be born in some other State I can't file for a new birth certificate in that "other" State so I have NO idea what the Great State of Kansas is talking about.

I couldn't find anything that explains this.

I am reading this as - child was born and adopted in Las Vegas. Thus the Nevada because. At the time of adoption child was given hyphenated (new) last name (mother and father), and a replacement/corrected/new because was filed.

Now the parents are in another State (Kansas) and are looking to get a Kansas because with a non-hyphenated last name.

I understand the change the name part; I'm lost as to why a because from a State where the child wasn't born is being requested UNLESS it has something to do with the legality of the adoption - or something.

For a name change, Kansas would have jurisdiction and you would petition the court for a name change of a minor. To amend the birth certificate itself, you would need to go through the department of vital statistics In Nevada.

JudyKay_ I do not want a Kansas Birth Cert. I want his Nevada BC. He was born there, he knows he was born there, he likes being from Vegas. I am with you, now he will be from Kansas? Makes no sense to me.

Yes I am his mother-his adoptive mother and my name is on his NEVADA birth certificate as his mother. My husband and I both consent and we just want to drop the hyphenated name. The first part so, the last name is EXACTLY the same, just the hyphen and the name preceding the hyphen would be gone. I can't see changing his name and getting a new Kansas birth cert! Help, this is confusing and crazy, but now I am in... thanks for the help!

OK so I change his name in Kansas and then submit that paperwork to Nevada, to the BVS, and his v=birth certificate would be changed in Nevada. RIght? I was confused, thinking he would get a new BC--from KANSAS which made no sense. Thank you!

OK JudyKay I got it figured out and it makes sense to me, as it will to you I trust. Kansas has jurid=sdiction over us as residents and we petition the court for a name change here because we live here. Once the petition is granted, we take the Order and submit it to the Bureau of Vital Stats in Nevada and they change his birth certificate (his Nevada Birth Certificate).. . It makes sense now -- right? Thanks for your help!

Yes. From what I am reading, you would obtain the name change in Kansas, and submit the court order to Nevada. They should issue a new birth certificate, reflecting the change, and seal the old one.

Thanks-I got that also, it just took a minute to figure out the getting it to Nevada for the change. I appreciate you taking the time.