Can a child's name be changed as part of a family court parenting order rather than a separate application?

Yes — where parents are already before the court on a parenting matter, a judge can address a disputed child name change as part of that same proceeding rather than requiring a completely separate application, since deciding who has decision-making responsibility over identity-related matters fits within the same best-interests framework the court is already applying to parenting time and decision-making responsibility. This is often more efficient than starting an entirely new process, especially where the name dispute is really just one part of a broader disagreement between the parents.

That said, if there is no existing or planned parenting proceeding and the only issue is the name change itself, a standalone application dealing specifically with the name change is usually the more direct route. Parents facing both a name change disagreement and other parenting issues should raise the name issue with their lawyer as part of the overall case rather than treating it automatically as a separate matter.