Can a mother change her children’s name?

[5] In Milonas v. Copsas, 2018 ONCJ 713, the court ordered that the mother could not change the children’s name, even though she only wanted to add her last name to their surnames. The court found it more probable than not that the mother had primarily made this claim for improper motives – to hurt the father and to punish him for taking her to trial – she had not pleaded the relief and only sought this on the eve of trial. Name changes should not be permitted when they are primarily sought for an improper purpose and are designed to be inflammatory. They should be strongly discouraged as a tactic in litigation.