View Full Version : Different last name at birth, than the birth parents.
stupidiestskunc
Dec 1, 2013, 04:36 PM
My daughter is pregnant and does not want to give her biological last name to the baby due to that she has no contact with her father. She does not want to give the name of the father, who she does not want to have contact her and he doesn''t want contact with the baby.
Can she give the baby my last name, which is my birth name? I am her mother. We live in Wisconsin. Baby is due in 4 months.
cdad
Dec 1, 2013, 06:10 PM
So long as it is not an illegal name then she can name the baby any name she wishs. But she needs to be prepared to answer questions when it comes to signing the child up for things like doctors and schools. Also it doesnt matter what she wants for contact with the bio father. It is not her decision. If he chooses to excersize his rights then the courts will most likely grant them.
ma0641
Dec 1, 2013, 06:12 PM
The baby should have the mothers last name. Not same as yours? Causes lots of issues later in life if birth cert last name different than used name.
stinawords
Dec 2, 2013, 05:58 PM
As has been answered she can give the child any name she chooses (I have seen some strange ones). As far as contact with the baby's father goes that isn't really up to her entirely. If the father does not want contact then they agree and that is fine. If he does want contact then the judge can order it. Also, if she wants child support that too has to go through a court and if she gets public assistance (most cases that I know of anyway) require a support order to get the assistance or at least the fathers name because they want to make sure they can recoup as much money as they can. This can also spur a father into wanting a visitation order. Hope that wasn't too long for you just trying to get all the bases covered.
AK lawyer
Dec 2, 2013, 06:35 PM
It is unclear whether OP's daughter (the person who is pregnant) is married to the biological father. If so, he will have to be named as such on the birth certificate (although, as noted, the baby's last name probably can be anything the baby's mother wants), and will have certain custodial rights.