IN RE THE PETITION OF KERRY MACK HOOPER, TO CHANGE NAME

Fla. 2d DCA | 1983-08-19
No. 83-288
BOARDMAN, A.C.J., and DANAHY, J., concur.
436 So. 2d 401 Florida District Court of Appeal, Second District (1983) Positive Treatment
Cited by 6 cases

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Synopsis

Kerry Mack Hooper appealed the denial of her petition to change her name from her second husband's surname back to her birth-given name (Mack). The court reversed, holding that Florida law permits a divorced mother to resume her maiden name even though her minor children retain their father's surname, absent injury to others' rights.


Holding

A divorced mother has the right to resume her birth-given name notwithstanding her marriage, and the fact that her minor children would have a different surname from her does not constitute grounds for denying the petition, absent injury to the rights of others. The statute does not restrict such name changes based on surname differences between mother and children.


Headnotes

[1] A court may not deny a petition for a name change solely because the petitioner's minor children would have a different surname than their mother.

[2] Florida law recognizes a woman's right to her birth-given name, irrespective of marriage.

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Key Quotes

“The right of a woman to her birth-given name, notwithstanding marriage, is established under Florida law.”

Establishes the fundamental principle that Florida recognizes a woman's right to her maiden name independent of marriage.

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Facts & Procedural History

Petitioner was born with the surname Mack in 1943. She married Thomas Adcock in 1962 and her name was changed to Adcock; she was divorced in 1964 and …

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Opinion of the Court
LEHAN, Judge.

LEHAN, Judge.

Petitioner Kerry Mack Hooper appeals from an order of the circuit court denying her petition for a change of name which sought to have her birth-given name reinstated in place of her former husband’s surname which she had retained at the time of the dissolution of her marriage. We reverse.

The uncontested petition for change of name was sworn to and the following allegations were acknowledged as being true: Petitioner has been a bona fide resident and domiciliary of Charlotte County, Florida, since June 17,1982. Petitioner was born to Kenneth and Catherine Mack on November 16, 1943, in New York City.

On June 8, 1962, petitioner’s name was changed from Mack to Adcock as a result of her marriage to Thomas Adcock in St. Petersburg, Florida. Her name was changed back to her birth-given name by final decree of divorce entered in Pinellas County on November 2, 1964.

On April 3, 1969, petitioner married Jack Hooper in New Orleans, and three children were born of that marriage.

On September 12,1975, petitioner was divorced from Jack Hooper in Florida and was given custody of the three minor children, who are still minors and live with the petitioner in Charlotte County. Her name was not changed back to her birth-given name at the time her second dissolution of marriage decree was entered. The children have the surname of their father, Jack Hooper. The petitioner currently is not married. She has been known only by her maiden name, her married name of Adock, and her married name of Hooper. She has never been adjudicated bankrupt nor has she been convicted of a felony. No money judgment has ever been entered against her. The petition, which listed all her prior places of residence, states that it was filed for no ulterior or illegal purposes and that granting the petition would not invade the property rights of others.

A hearing was held on the petition. There is no transcript of the hearing. On January 11, 1983, the trial court denied the petition without stating its reasons. Petitioner then filed timely notice of appeal.

Although the record in this case contains no grounds for the trial court’s action, there is a suggestion that the reason may have been that upon a change in petitioner’s name, petitioner’s minor children would then have a name different from that of their mother. We do not find that a reason of that nature would constitute grounds for denial of the petition here. See Moskowitz v. Moskowitz, 118 N.H. 199, 385 A. 2d 120 (1978).

Section 68.07, Florida Statutes (1981), which contains requirements to be met to authorize a name change, does not provide for any restriction for a change of name by a custodial mother whose children would have a name different from that of their mother. The right of a woman to her birth-given name, notwithstanding marriage, is established under Florida law. See Marshall v. State, 301 So. 2d 477 (Fla. 1st DCA 1974); Davis v. Boos, 326 So. 2d 226 (Fla. 3d DCA 1976).

See also Egner v. Egner, 133 N.J.Super. 403, 337 A. 2d 46 (N.J. 1975).

Absent injury to the rights of others, there appears to be no reason why a woman’s failure to assert that right upon her marriage should prevent her from doing so later, i.e., at the time of her divorce or thereafter. A divorced mother’s remarriage apparently is “a statistical probability.” Egner, 337 A. 2d at 48. The dissimilarity of a divorced mother’s and her children’s names is not prohibited upon her remarriage and her assumption of her new husband’s name. Arnett v. Matthew, 259 So. 2d 535 (Fla. 1st DCA 1972).

Relative to the interests of the children, we can see no distinction between that situation and the facts of this case. Lazow v. Lazow, 147 So. 2d 12 (Fla. 3d DCA 1962).

Accordingly, we reverse and remand. On remand, the trial court is directed to grant the relief requested if it finds the allegations are in fact true as alleged.

BOARDMAN, A.C.J., and DANAHY, J., concur.


Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus


Citator

Cited By

  • Fortune v. Fortune, 61 So. 3d 441 (Fla. 2d DCA 2011)
    …be conditioned on his being current in his child support obligations. D. The wife’s maiden name It is established law that in a dissolution of marriage proceeding, the wife has the right to reassume her maiden name if she so chooses. In re Hooper, 436 So. 2d 401, 403 (Fla. 2d DCA 1983). The husband concedes as much in his answer brief. The wife repeatedly asked the trial court to restore her maiden name by pleading for such relief in her counterpetition for dissolution, by requesting this relief at trial, a…
  • Isom v. The Cir. Court OF the Tenth Jud. Cir., 437 So. 2d 732 (Fla. 2d DCA 1983)
    …otection to both the applicant and the general public. Therefore, a petition under this statute should generally be granted unless sought for a wrongful or fraudulent purpose. In re Application of Knight; 65 C.J.S. Names § 11; see also In re Hooper, 436 So. 2d 401 (Fla. 2d DCA 1983); § 68.07(j), Fla.Stat. (1981). Here, appellant’s petition states that he desires to change his name only for religious purposes, and that he has no intention to further an ulterior or illegal purpose. The trial court’s conclusion…
  • Pilch v. Pilch, 447 So. 2d 989 (Fla. 1st DCA 1984)
    …vanced by the trial judge is insufficient in and of itself to deny restoration of one’s maiden name and is unsupported by the evidence. In so concluding, we adopt the reasoning of the Second District Court of Appeal in In re the Petition of Hooper, 436 So. 2d 401, 403 (Fla. 2d DCA 1983), as follows: The right of a woman to her birth-given name, notwithstanding marriage, is established under Florida Law. See Marshall v. State, 301 So. 2d 477 (Fla. 1st DCA 1974); Davis v. Roos, 326 So. 2d 226 (Fla. 3d DCA 197…

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