The mother didn’t give the child my last name. Can I change the child’s last name?

You can petition the Court to change the child’s last name. You will have the burden of proof, and the standard you have to prove is that changing the last name is in the child’s best interests. What that means is, essentially, you had better have a good reason as to why the name change will benefit your child. The Court is not going to change the last name simply because, traditionally, children bore their father’s last names.