I live in NEW YORK STATE. My son presently has his fathers last name. He did sign the birth certificate and the acknowlegement of paternity. We are absolutely NOT on speaking terms. However, through court order, he has visitation and Child support obligations.

I would like to hyphenate the baby's last name to include my name.

Am I able to do this without a problem?

Do you have sole custody or share joint custody with the father? Does the father object to the name change?

You will need his consent. If you have it, no problem.

You can call the child what you like but when it comes to legal documents you need to follow what's on the birth certificate.