Ho do I change my last name to my mother’s maiden name?

Change your name and changing the name of your son are almost the exact same process.  The process basically consists of filing a number of forms at the county superior court, publishing one of those forms in a local paper, then showing up to a court hearing where a judge will grant the name change.  This is an overview of what you have to do.

1.  Fill out the following forms: NC-100, NC-110, NC-120, CM-010.  In addition many counties require a local form with your criminal history to be filled out.

2.  Call the court clerk and ask him/her: (a) what newspapers does the court accept for notice by publication, and (b) what local forms must be filled out for a name change.

3. Make at least 3 copies of all forms.

4. Go to the court clerk's office (civil window) and have all 3+ copies stamped as filed and pay a filing fee.  I believe it is $225. 

5. Publish the NC-120 in a paper approved by the local court.

6. Keep proof of publication (like copies of the papers).

7. Attend your court hearing w/ proof of publication and yet another form, the NC-130.

8. Extra Step for Children only:  Once you have a court order changing your child's name, you can apply to amend your child's birth certificate to reflect the new name.  Instructions are available here: http://www.cdph.ca.gov/certlic/birthdeathmar/Documents/CHS-CourtOrderNameChangePamphletMerged-2010-01.pdf

Remember to call around and get newspaper pricing in advance, because once you mark which paper you are going to use on your order to show cause, you can't change papers.

Good luck!