Felony Pardon, Name Change?

I had a felony at one time and a couple of years ago I got a pardon and they expunged my conviction. I am now thinking of changing my first name so that I can fully move on with my life and not worry about google searches. On the application to change your name,it asks if you have ever been convicted of a felony?



I know when I got my pardon that I was told that my record was erased and that I can now truthfully answer that I have never been convicted of a felony. That works on job applications, but I know that courts can still see if you ever had a felony conviction, so how would I answer this for the court when applying for a name change? Can I still check the %26quot;no%26quot; box?
Felony Pardon, Name Change?
When a conviction is expunged, that does not mean it vanishes everywhere. It is simply removed as part of public record. It is still available to the courts, law enforcement, state licensing boards and certain background checks (MEPS or other high level security background checks, for instance).



You may wish to check with an attorney in your state of residence, but you may find that even an expunged felony may preclude you from changing your name.

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If your conviction has been expunged, it's no longer a public record. If you're getting married anyway, why go through the hassle and expense of changing your name?