Dad Sparks Debate After Asking If He Should Let His 12-Year-Old Daughter Legally Change Her Name

Technically speaking, in the United States, a child is not allowed to change their name without the consent of a parent or guardian until they turn 18.

But occasionally the opportunity arises where your child wants to change their name, and you, as a parent, have to make a choice, which is what this Twitter user faced unexpectedly.

"My daughter's name is Klaire, she's 12. She hates her first name and wants it to be 'Ace.' She wants it legally changed. Both her mother and I are against that," wrote Jason Ernst, Twitter user @Geranthrimin.

"I hate it. I said it'd be ok as a nickname but she's not okay with that. What do I do?"

Twitter's advice was to do some more investigating into why Klaire wanted her name changed to "Ace" in the first place:

Others shared stories about how they, or someone they knew, were aware at a young age that their name did not fit them and the change was for the best:

Not all commenters approached the situation with compassion for Klaire/Ace.

Ernst says that, for the time being, he plans to call her Ace without legally changing her name.

One thing we can be sure of on Twitter is that not everyone will agree upon which solution is best. But we hope this solution works out for Ace and her family.