Miley Cyrus' Name Change Asking For Trouble?

The Best of Both Worlds (DIS) star known as Miley Cyrus already leads a double life when she tours as the character Hannah Montana. In reality she actually juggles three aliases: The fifteen-year-old singer and actress was born Destiny Hope Cyrus. Now, she is officially changing her name to the one fans know best: Miley Ray Cyrus. On Friday March 14th Miley’s parents, Billy Ray and Leticia Cyrus, went to the Los Angeles Superior Court to file papers on their daughter’s behalf.

The process to legally change one’s name will take about three months, says Maria Salas, a clerk at the Circuit Court for Montgomery County in Rockville, Md. “They have to do an investigation. You can’t just change your name. You have to give a valid reason why you are changing it.” Miley’s reason is that she wants to “make her commonly used name the same name as her legal name” reported TMZ (TWX), citing copies of official court documents.

Name changing laws vary in different states, but most charge a similar processing fee. In Montgomery County, Md., for example, the cost to legally change your name is $105. (The paperwork necessary to file for a name change petition can be obtained at the county courthouse for free.) Applying for a change online is another option. Companies such as U.S. Legal Forms, Inc. provide the documents for you and will also help with the paperwork. “A name change for a minor is $59.95 to download it to a PC and $69.95 to have it mailed to you,” says Edie Muse, a customer service representative at U.S. Legal. “Our company is staffed with attorneys so if you want them to fill out the paperwork for you and consult with you, it is $250.”