Portia De Rossi Takes Wife Ellen DeGeneres’ Name

First Published: September 23, 2010 3:23 PM EDT Credit: WireImage

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Caption Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi visits “The Late Show with David Letterman” at the Ed Sullivan Theater, NYC, September 7, 2010Portia de Rossi has officially taken wife Ellen DeGeneres’ last name.

A Los Angeles Superior Court commissioner granted De Rossi’s request to take the last name of her partner during a closed hearing Thursday. The television star will now legally be known as Portia Lee James DeGeneres.

The couple was married in August 2008. The 37-year-old Australian-born actress asked for the name change last month.

Neither woman attended the hearing. They married during the five-month window in which gay marriage was legal in California.

Portia DeGeneres is well-known for her roles on several television series, including “Ally McBeal,” '‘Arrested Development” and “Better Off Ted.”

Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.