Can my 11 year old daughter change her name & be adopted by my partner?

Yes

If her biological father has not been in her life for such a long time then there should be no problem.

Your partner will have to agree to this and so will both of your daughters.

The only advice i can give you would be, go and see a family lawyer and they will guide you through the process, it doesn't cost that much and some may even do thi for free.

hope i helped you and i wish you and your family good luck x

Edit: If he can not be contacted they will go ahead as they did with my mum when she was younger

Yes. Without a doubt, however you will need the permission of the biological father.

He will need to sign a document provided by the court, and then state infront of the court that he agrees to the adoption. Your daughters name will then automatically be changed, and she will be issued with a new birth certificate, stating her new name.

So long as your ex agrees, there is no reason why it can't go ahead. If he doesn't, you can still ask a court to grant parental rights to your new partner, and change her name.

On a slightly high note, if your ex signs the papers, and doesn't bother to show up in court, the adoption will go through anyway :)

Hope this is helpful

p.s Just a warning. When you go through the process, you will actually be asked to give your daughter up for adoption. Dont' panic. This is a stupid rule, but its true. You have to give her up, and then you and your partner adopt her. Incredulous I know

Your partner cant adopt your child unless your ex signs away his rights as the father. If he wont sign over his rights then she cant be adopted by anyone else.

And if you mean partner as in gay lover then some states might be against allowing a same sex partner to adopt your child unless you are married. And if that is illegal in your state I cant see them being allowed to adopt.

See a solicitor and change her name, but as I understood it from my experience it will not change on her birth certificate ever, so when ever she has to show it that will be the name she has to go by. I actually hyphenated my daughters surname so it reads on her passport Sara Smith-Brown for example , hope this helps.

If the maternal father agrees with this then yes, you can.

The name will need to be changed via deed poll but I don't see why this isn't possible, especially as you say her real father doesn't have any responsibilities over her.

i think it's possible, i remember considering changing my surname to my mums maiden name because i wanted nothing to do with my dads family, i was13 at the time, and you need both parents consent when under the age of 16, my dad of course refused.

i think that it is still possible, especially if your child and yourself have no contact with the other parent.

I think firstly your partner should ad opt your daughter,and wheat her you have to get your ex consent,have a word about this to a solicitor,his the one who can tell you all you need to know.

Ask at the CAB.

If they do not know, they will direct you to who does.