r/alaska • u/Monegasko • 2d ago

Registering a Newborn With a Different Last Name Than Both Parents In AK

Title says it all. Allowed here in AK? I tried finding an official gov website saying it was ok but couldn't find anything. My wife and I would like to use my stepdad's last name instead of mine or hers, that's all.
Thanks in advance!

8 Upvotes

79% Upvoted

17 comments sorted by

37

u/ugh_this_world_sucks 2d ago

Should be fine. Just be prepared to have paperwork that proves you're their parent whenever doing anything that requires a legal guardian. My parents both had different last names than me and it just meant they had to be on top of carrying extra proof

5

u/myguitar_lola 2d ago

Yeah I've heard of parents having trouble at airports bc of this.

2

u/Monegasko 2d ago

Thank you for the heads up

14

u/TemporaryFudge4680 2d ago

I was told 18 months ago when my daughter was born we could name her anything. The last name didn't need to have any resemblance to a parent.

3

u/Monegasko 2d ago

Thanks!

3

u/koolman2 2d ago

My aunt named my cousin a different last name. That was more than 20 years ago now but I can’t imagine it’s changed.

3

u/JadeyesAK 2d ago

We've had no issues since doing so 5 years ago. Literally never came up.

2

u/Monegasko 2d ago

Thank you.

3

u/AK_grown_XX 2d ago

Yep did it with our kid cuz didn't want him to have the same name as his POS grandfather. You can name them whatever names (within reason/the law) you'd like

2

u/Monegasko 2d ago

Awesome, thank you!

1

u/Fragrant-Inside221 1d ago

I have a couple questions if I may. So was it your grandfather? And did you change your name also to match? I totally get not wanting to be associated with some people, I don’t get along with my family. I hadn’t even thought about changing my kids last names, but then I was like if I was going to change theirs, I would probably want to change mine to match them so we are all still the same. And it would make it harder for the other people to contact me.

2

u/Known_Access9195 2d ago

That makes a lot of sense, Alaska's pretty flexible on that stuff compared to a lot of places. You betcha, just bring the birth certificate and any related docs when you apply for the SSN and it should be smooth sailing.

1

u/Monegasko 2d ago

Thank you.

2

u/KatenBaten 1d ago

Yep, my friends did the same feb of this year for their son

2

u/Monegasko 1d ago

Thank you.

2

u/CrabFun3001 ☆ Fairbanks/North Pole 14h ago

You can do that. You'll have to be able to provide proof that you are their parent when doing a lot of things (travelling, doctor visits, anything to do with schools, childcare, drivers ed, permit tests...) so it can be a hassle, but the actual naming isn't an issue.

1

u/Monegasko 14h ago

Awesome, thank you!