On my birth certificate, my last name is my mother's, "xxxx", but on
my social security card, and all other documents that I have (Driver's
license, etc.), it is my father's, "yyyy".  I have been having issues
with bank accounts, credit cards, etc.  What can I do about this?  I
have not had any real contact with my mother since my adolescence (I
am 28) and lived with and was supported by mainly my father growing
up.  Can my birth certificate be changed to reflect my "real" last
name?  I was born in NJ and currently live in PA, if that matters.

Hi qbert4578,

Changing your last name on your birth certificate can be done. And
thank you for including your state of residence, because it does
matter.

"Pennsylvania will change both name and sex, and will issue a new
birth certificate with no mention of being amended. The original birth
certificate is amended and "sealed" so that it is unavailable to the
public.

Web site:
http://www.health.state.pa.us/vitalrecords

You will need an original letter from your SRS surgeon, and an
original or certified copy of the court order for your name change.
The fee is $4.00, but there is no fee for military veterans.

Mail to this address:

Emily A. Berg
Pennsylvania Dept. Vital Records
101 S. Mercer St.
New Castle, PA 16101
Ph. 724-656-3331
Fax 724-656-3153

U. S. States and Canadian Provinces:
Instructions For Changing Name And Sex On Birth Certificate
Dr. Becky Allison:  
http://www.drbecky.com/birthcert.html


From the  PA Department of Health website:

-Procedures to Correct a Birth Record for an Individual 18 Years of Age or Older-
How to Correct the Last Name on a Birth Record

An individual who has reached the majority age of eighteen (18) may
correct the last name on his/her birth record.  If you have an
incorrect Certification of Birth, please list the information to be
corrected on the reverse side under "Corrections Desired."  It will be
necessary for you to sign in the designated area in the presence of a
notary.  In addition, a photocopy of any one document that
conclusively establishes the use of the correct name for at least the
last fifteen (15) years must be submitted.  Acceptable documents
include a baptismal record, school record, military record, employment
record, immunization record or marriage record.  Neither a Social
Security card nor driver?s license is an acceptable document to
support the correction of a last name.

If you do not have a Certification of Birth, please click here
http://www.dsf.health.state.pa.us/health/lib/health/old_dir/vitalrecords/forms/pdfs/Birth_cert_correction.pdf
to download a correction form and an application form
http://www.dsf.health.state.pa.us/health/lib/health/old_dir/vitalrecords/forms/pdfs/Birth_by_mail.pdf
to request a corrected copy of the birth record.  The correction form
must be submitted with a completed application form and the required
fee or Armed Forces information.


You may contact the Division of Vital Records by one of the methods
listed below if the correction you desire is not addressed above or
you require additional information.
 
Fax: 724-656-3079
Telephone: 1-877-PA-HEALTH or 724-656-3130 

Mailing address:    
Division of Vital Records
Attn: Corrections Unit
101 S. Mercer Street, Room 401
PO Box 1528
New Castle, PA 16101

Please include the birth information (name, date of birth, place of
birth, parents' names, including the mother?s maiden name),
relationship to the person named on birth record, the specific
correction(s) desired to the birth record, your current mailing
address and daytime telephone number, including area code.

http://www.dsf.health.state.pa.us/health/cwp/view.asp?a=168&Q=202212


Search criteria:
"birth certificate" "change name"

I hope the information provided is helpful. If you have any questions
regarding my answer please don?t hesitate to ask before rating it.

Best regards,
Rainbow

---

Clarification of Answer by rainbow-ga on 04 Oct 2005 16:23 PDT

Regarding the comment below, although an SRS Surgeon is not relevant,
I did not want to exclude any information, in order to provide as
comprehensive answer as possible.

Rainbow~

---

Request for Answer Clarification by qbert4578-ga on 04 Oct 2005 19:09 PDT

A clarification-- all the information you give talks about a change of
name on a birth certificate in PA, but I was born in NJ... doesn't
that matter?

---

Clarification of Answer by rainbow-ga on 04 Oct 2005 23:06 PDT

Hi qbert4578,

You would have to obtain the name change in Pennsylvania because that
is where you presently live.

Once you obtain an order  in Pennsylvania changing your name, you may
apply to have your New Jersey birth certificate changed.

Known documents needed:
A copy of your birth certificate
A certified copy of any Pennsylvania order changing your name 

For more information call the State Registrar of Vital Statistics in
Trenton is 609-292-4087.

Bureau of Vital Statistics
Department of Health and
Senior Services
P.O. Box 370
Trenton, NJ 08625-0370
Attention: Record Modification Unit

Webiste: http://www.state.nj.us/health/vital/vital.shtml

I hope that helps.

Best regards,
Rainbow

Good answer, but I was able to find everything she stated on the
internet as well... it was a little confusing and I was hoping for
some more clarification.  Good overall.

Just one observation. With regard to the answer that mentions "You
will need an original letter from your SRS surgeon," I think that in
that case, "SRS" stands for "Sexual Reassignment Surgery." Such
surgery is certainly a situation that might cause one to want to
adjust one's official records, but which might not exactly be relevant
to the original querier's circumstances.

But the other answers and insights given do indeed seem suited to the
question as posed. That first one, though, just caught my eye ;-)