SANTA CLARA — Donte Whitner, the 49ers’ hard-hitting safety, officially has filed a request in his native Ohio to change his last name to “Hitner,” and a hearing will be held Nov. 19 in the Cuyahoga County Probate Court.

If his new name is granted by Judge Laura J. Gallagher and then recognized by the NFL, the earliest game he could wear “Hitner” on the back of his No. 31 jersey would be Nov. 25, when the 49ers visit the Washington Redskins.

That means at least another five games as “Whitner” for the 49ers’ hard-hitting safety, who’s off to a solid start in what is a contract year for him. He’s in the final year of a three-year, $11.4 million contract he signed after playing his previous five seasons with the Buffalo Bills.

Whitner has not allowed a touchdown in coverage during the 49ers’ 3-2 start, a marked improvement over last season’s eight touchdowns he yielded, according to ProFootballFocus.com.

That steady coverage, combined with his increasingly visible and fine-drawing hits, have raised Whitner’s status. He’s hoping a name change could, as well.

According to the name-change request filed Tuesday by his lawyer: “The requested name change will be beneficial to applicant’s career as a professional football player and in other business ventures further, the requested name does not involve potential for fraud, will not interfere with the rights of others, will not permit the applicant to avoid legal duty, and is not contrary to the public policy of this state.”

It cost Whitner $130 in court fees to file the request. He’ll also have to purchase Nike’s remaining replica jerseys with “Whitner” on them before the NFL allows him to don a new name on his game-day jersey.

Contrary to an ESPN report Sunday, Whitner’s name-change filing has not been delayed by the federal government shutdown, seeing how the name change is done on a county-government level. Whitner announced his intentions last week to officially change his name.

“I think it’s pretty cool,” Whitner said last Wednesday. “Everything we do is for the fans. It’s all entertainment. But at the same time, that’s what I do, it’s my game.”

For more on the 49ers, see Cam Inman’s Hot Read blog at blogs.mercurynews.com/49ers. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/CamInman.