How to Change Your Name in Motley County, Texas
Changing your name in Motley County means working through four offices in a specific order. This page gives you the Motley County offices themselves — where they are, what each one is for, and which order to visit them in.
The short answer
After a marriage: order certified copies of your marriage certificate from the Motley County District & County Clerk, P.O. Box 660, Matador, TX 79244. Then update Social Security, then your Texas DPS license, then your passport, in that order. No court filing is required.
After a divorce or a court order: your certified copies come from the District Clerk instead — which in Motley County is the same office, because the County Clerk and District Clerk are combined.
Order matters. Social Security has to be updated before the Texas DPS — the license office checks your SSA record.
Fees: set locally in Motley County and not published here, because we haven't confirmed them with the office directly. Call the clerk, or we'll confirm them for you.
Step 1 — Certified copies from the county clerk
Every agency below wants to see an original certified document, not a photocopy. After a marriage, certified copies of your marriage certificate come from the Motley County District & County Clerk. After a divorce or a court order, they come from the District Clerk instead (Step 2).
Motley County District & County Clerk
This is the office’s mailing address. The public counter is usually at the county courthouse, and smaller counties keep short hours — call before you drive out.
We don’t print a phone number here unless we’ve confirmed it with the office ourselves — clerk numbers change, and a wrong one wastes your morning. The state’s published contact list for this office is here; it’s maintained for elections, so check you’ve reached the records counter when you call.
Verified against the Texas Secretary of State — County Clerks directory on 31 July 2026.
Motley County runs a combined office. The County Clerk and the District Clerk are the same office here, which is common in smaller Texas counties. In practice that means your marriage certificate copies and, if you need one, your name-change petition are handled at the same counter by the same staff — one trip instead of two.
Step 2 — The District Clerk (divorce or court order)
In Motley County this is the office above. Certified copies of a divorce decree, and the petition for a court-order name change, are both filed there.
Find your county’s district clerk — official Texas court directory →
Choose Court Type “District Courts” and your county.
Step 3 — Social Security
Do this before the license office — they check your Social Security record, and if it still shows your old name they'll turn you away. It's free. Bring your certified document and a current photo ID. Allow a couple of weeks for the record to update.
Find the Social Security office nearest you — ssa.gov/locator →
Step 4 — Your Texas DPS license
Once Social Security shows your new name, the Texas DPS will reissue your driver's license or state ID. Most offices take appointments and most walk-in waits are long, so book one if you can.
Find the Texas DPS driver license office nearest you →
Step 5 — Passport, then everything else
Which passport form you file depends on how recently your passport was issued — under a year is free, older than that isn't. After the passport: bank, employer, insurance, voter registration, vehicle title, and the long tail of subscriptions and logins.
What this page doesn't tell you
Fees. Certified-copy and filing fees are set locally in Texas and change without announcement, so we won't print a number for Motley County that we haven't confirmed with the office ourselves — a wrong fee sends you to the counter with the wrong amount in hand. Call the Motley County District & County Clerk, or have us confirm it: the Motley County guide is built against that office directly and includes the current fees, the right forms for your reason, and a progress tracker.
Get your Motley County guide
We confirm Motley County’s current fees, offices and forms against official sources, build the guide for your situation — marriage, divorce or court order — and email it within 1 business day.
Get my Motley County guide → $24.99Not ready to buy?
Start with the free name-change checklist — 47 steps, printable and fillable, covering every agency in the right order. No cost.
Frequently asked questions
- Where do I get certified copies of my marriage certificate in Motley County?
- From the Motley County District & County Clerk, P.O. Box 660, Matador, TX 79244. Order at least three so each agency can keep one.
- Do I have to go to court to change my name in Motley County?
- Not for a marriage or divorce name change — your marriage certificate or divorce decree is itself the legal document. A court-order name change does require filing a petition with the District Clerk and attending a hearing. In Motley County the same office handles both, because the County Clerk and District Clerk are combined.
- What does a name change cost in Motley County?
- Certified-copy and filing fees are set locally and change without much notice, so we don't publish a figure for Motley County until we've confirmed it with the office directly. Call the Motley County District & County Clerk to confirm today's fee, or order the Motley County guide and we'll confirm it for you.
- What order do I update everything in?
- Certified copies first, then Social Security, then your driver's license, then your passport, then banks and everything else. Social Security has to come before the license — the license office checks the SSA record.
Sources: Texas Secretary of State — County Clerks directory · Find your county’s district clerk — official Texas court directory · Social Security Administration · how we verify this