[ca] Real-id Issues Due To Name Change.

My father in law "changed is last name" 40 years ago. According to him all he did was go to the DMV and request a new driver's license with a different last name. No documentation was required. He then went to social security and got a new social security card with the new last name on it.

The issue he's having now is there is no legal documentation he can provide to get his Real-ID. There is no court documentation despite him having used his current last name for 40 years (he says this is because no one at the time needed to see any court documentation to change his name). When attempting to get a copy of his birth certificate from CT he can't prove who he is because he now has a different last name.

The DMV doesn't seem to care that they have been issuing him a drivers license with a different last name for 40 years, they now need him to prove he changed his name.

I'm leaning towards advising him to revert back to what I assume would legally be considered his last name (what it says on his birth certificate) but I'm concerned with how he would go about re updateing his information with social security and revert his name back to what it was before.

Hope this makes sense, standing by to clarify and answer anything I can.