Name change in Wisconsin

These are the steps most people follow for a name change in Wisconsin, in order. Each links to its official source and the date we last checked it. When you're ready, build a personalized checklist that covers every document at once.

This is general information, not legal advice. Requirements change, so always confirm with the official source linked on each step, and talk to a lawyer or legal-aid organization about your specific situation.

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  1. Step 1: Get a court order for your name change

    • In Wisconsin you ask the circuit court to change your name by filing a Petition for Change of Name with the clerk of circuit court in the county where you live. Before a judge can grant it, Wisconsin law requires you to publish notice of the petition and the hearing in a local newspaper once a week for three weeks.

    Cost: Every filing carries a court filing fee, and the newspaper charges its own fee for the three weeks of publication. Both vary; contact the clerk of circuit court in your county for the current amounts.

    Varies by court/clerk.

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    • The court may grant the petition "if no sufficient cause is shown to the contrary." Under Wisconsin Statute 786.37(4), a judge can waive the newspaper-publication step if you file for a confidential name change and the judge decides publication could endanger you. People in professions the state licenses face some restrictions on changing their name (Wis. Stat. 786.36(3)), and people required to register as sex offenders cannot change their name at all (Wis. Stat. 301.47(2)). After a judge signs the order, you buy certified copies from the clerk of circuit court to use at other agencies.

    Sources

  2. Step 2: Update your Social Security record

    • Social Security still changes the legal name on your Social Security record. A valid court order for a name change is one of the events Social Security recognizes as changing your legal name, and you apply with Form SS-5, the Application for a Social Security Card.

    Do first: Court order

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    • Social Security's policy manual defines your legal name as your first name and last name — the name you use to sign legal documents. For a person born in the United States, that is generally the name shown on the birth certificate, unless the name changed through an event such as a marriage or a valid court order for a name change. The sex marker on your record is handled separately and under a different rule — see the Social Security sex marker step.

    📝 Get the official form: Form SS-5 — Application for a Social Security Card

    Sources

  3. Step 3: Update your driver's license or state ID

    • To put your new legal name on a Wisconsin driver license or ID card, visit a DMV customer service center and show proof of your name change: a certified marriage certificate, a certified record of divorce, a certified court order, or a valid unexpired U.S. passport in your current name.

    Cost: This page does not list a fee. See the DMV's fee schedule or ask at a service center.

    Do first: Court order

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    • Wisconsin's DMV recommends changing your name with the Social Security Administration first and waiting 48 hours before your DMV visit. If you have a valid, unexpired U.S. passport in your current name, you don't need to bring documents for any past name changes; otherwise you need documents covering each name change from birth to today.

    Sources

  4. Step 4: Update your U.S. passport

    • To update the name on your U.S. passport, submit a passport application with an original or certified copy of the document that legally changed your name, such as a court order.

    Cost: No fee when you use Form DS-5504 within a year of issuance ($60 if you want it expedited). Otherwise standard application fees apply.

    Do first: Court order

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    • If your name changed within 1 year of your most recent passport being issued, mail Form DS-5504 with the name-change document — you will not have to submit any fees for this service. If it has been more than a year, renew by mail with Form DS-82 and a certified name-change document, or apply in person with Form DS-11. If you have no legal documentation of the change, you apply in person with Form DS-11 plus Form DS-60, Affidavit Regarding a Change of Name.

    📝 Get the official form: Form DS-82 — U.S. Passport Renewal

    Sources

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Where to get help

These organizations publish their own guides or can help you directly.

Last reviewed 2026-07-13.