Okay, so I'm going to be 18 in around a month and I'm really wondering.
How do you even begin the name change?
Where do I go to get my name change?
What is going to happen?
How long is it going to take?

Its varies from state to state but go to your nearest family's clerk office to inquire. Usually you fill out a few forms, publish the name change on a local newspaper, pay the fee and wait a few weeks for a response in the mail unless they give you a court date.

Are you in the States?  If so, hop on your state government's website and search for "name change".  That should pull something up.  In Michigan, you have to file a petition to change your name, get fingerprinted, send the fingerprints to the state polive who run a background check themselves and with the FBI, setup a hearing date and time, publish the date and time of the hearing and the details, and then stand in front of the judge.  That gives your the court order.  You then take a certified copy of that court order to the Social Security Administration and the Secretary of State(our version of the DMV).  You get your paperwork changed with both of them.  You then send it to the state records department, and they issue a new birth certificate with your new name.  Pretty much each step(except SSA) costs some amount of money.  I think for me, when I'm done changing everything, I will be somewhere around $500.

Quote from: MarcoMacabre on February 26, 2012, 09:26:20 PM
Okay, so I'm going to be 18 in around a month and I'm really wondering.
How do you even begin the name change?
Where do I go to get my name change?
What is going to happen?
How long is it going to take?

In the UK it's easy, you can apply for a deed poll on the internet.  You then have to get a letter from your GP to change your driving licence etc.

Hm, if you're in the United States(mainly Virginia), you can go to your particular county's court website and search "name change". There, they should provide you with information regarding where your local courthouse is/what to bring/etc.

I had to type up an Order of Name Change, a Petition of Name Change(your court's website should have examples of these available for your use) and then get them notarized. That part is free if you go through your bank. If you are a customer at a particular bank, they often have a notary on staff who will work with you for no charge. Cool, huh?

Then I just brought my paperwork and payment to my local courthouse and had it filed. A few weeks later, the order was mailed to me, already signed by a judge. No court appearances or anything! It was pretty simple.

Some states require you to take out a few ads to show that you've had it changed to any potential debt collectors and whatnot, but it reall varies from place-to-place.

Court website?
What are you guys talking about. I have no idea