1. See if the name you want is even available or un-available by creating a new character and giving it the desired name.
2. If the name you tried was un-available, go to
http://us.battle.net/wow/en/ and search the name you want in the search box. (You can sort all the characters with that name by realm to make it easier for you to find)
3. If you find the name you want, and the person is under level 80 with a faded out icon, that means that their account is deactivated and the name is available to you. (By faded out icon means it will be a completely black person standing there with a simple background)
4. Now open your WoW and and begin to play
5. Hit the red question mark on the bottom bar, then hit the option "open a ticket"
then hit the same option again.
6. Make the message you're about to send look a little something like this.
Code:
Hello GM,
I currently have a terrible name I would like to change as soon as possible. I would like to see if you could clean up the character name (Enter desired name here) on the realm (Enter realm name here) so that I can use it on my character. The name (Enter desired name here) is being used by a low level character on a deactivated account. Thanks for your help.
7. Now you wait a few days for the Game Master to respond to your ticket.
If you can't follow this tutorial or don't understand me fully, here is a video for a better understanding.
[youtube]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J29j27Be5UQ[/youtube]