There are numerous reasons why someone may request an adult name change. An adult name change may be requested to clarify one’s name due to misspellings or other errors which may cause issues with their legal documents.  With the government’s requirement for the Real ID’s for travel, we are seeing more and more requests for adult name changes in order to meet the requirements for these ID’s. As the Department of Motor Vehicles requires that the name on the documentation required to obtain a Real ID be identical to one another and also to what Social Security has on record, it has become even more imperative for individuals to correct issues with their name and have a greater consistency on various legal documents.  In addition to correcting issues with one’s name, some individuals may request a formal name change to completely change their name simply because they do not like the name given to them at birth, they wish to carry the last name of a parent that raised them, but was not their biological parent, they wish to have the same surname as a partner, they wish to change their name for religious reasons, they have changed their gender, or in some cases even to make a political statement.