Just out of curiosity??

Question

When a child is adopted, do their "new" parents choose a name for him/her or do they have a name from before that they keep?

Thanx!

Answer 1

As an adoptee - I had a name from day one - then my adoptive parents decided to change it - because it suited them.

They made it about them - they did not honour where I came from - or my link to my original mother.

(they forgot about me - the child)

I think that was wrong.

Adoptee's do not come from cabbage patches - they come from another family.

That link is real - and shouldn't be ignored.

My suggestion - allow the adoptee to keep the name they were originally given - add any extra names you like (don't delete any).

Answer 2

If the child is old enough to know their name - then only their middle and last name is changed with adoption. How would you feel if you were named say Amy then adopted at the age of 8 and they told you - you're name is Jill now - keep the first name.

Answer 3

i say keep the same name.

so he/she at least has something to remember by their real parents.

Answer 4

I have adopted 2 children.  My daughter was 4 when I adopted her.  Her foster parents changed her name when she was 2 year old from Sarakali to Raylee.  When we adopted her, we could choose from either one of those names.  They preferred that we not change her whole name since she was already 4 and knew her name.  We chose to call her Raylee.  We did, however, get to give her a middle name.  We chose Anna.  Just 3 weeks ago, we got a newborn son.  His birth name was Joseph Naki.  We changed his name to Joah Ray.  This was a name that we've had picked out for 6 years to name a newborn son if we ever got one.  I'm so thankful that we got to give our kids the names we wanted.  I really wouldn't want to have to call my kids a name that I didn't like.

Answer 5

the new parents have that choice. they can legally name the child or if the child already has a name, they can keep that one.

Answer 6

It depends...sometimes the birth mother names the child, and the adoptive parents keep it...sometimes the birth mother's name the child and the adoptive parents change it....sometimes the adoptive parents just name it...this is infants of course.

When an older child is adopted..of course they have a name...parents can change it or keep it.

Answer 7

It depends. If they're adopting an infant, they will choose a new name usually. But if adopting an older child that already knows his/her name, I think they would let the child keep the name they already had.

Answer 8

the one that we are trying to adopt has and will always have his name.  We do have a copy of his obc, and will change only his last name and add our own middle name hypenated to the one he has now...

Answer 9

sometimes they already have names, it deoends on the age

Answer 10

All birthmoms have the right to name their child.  Most do - either a name thats meaningful to them or as part of a mutual decision with the adoptive parents.

Most of the adoptive parents I know rename their child during the adoption process - always for the last time but many times the first and middle intial as well.  Sometimes adoptive parents even rename an older child.

Answer 11

It can depend.  If it's an international adoption then they usually do change their name (say if it's an adoption from China or India), and if it's a domestic adoption then they might.  What it really comes down to is how old the child is at the time of adoption, the younger he/she is the more likely the "new" parents are to change the child's name to something they have already picked out.  If the child is old enough to recognize his/her original name then changing it can be harder.

Answer 12

I've got the name of my father, as he adopted me !

Answer 13

they keep their original name

Answer 14

They keep their old name. It may be different if they are only a few months old, and do not yet know a name for themselves. If they know a name, then they keep it.

Answer 15

wow you have bad answers so far. if it is a baby, they may let the biological mother choose the name so that she still feels like a part of the baby even though it is no longer hers. or the new parents choose the name. if the child is already old enough to know his or her name, the first name generally stays the same but the last name will change to show that that child is a part of whatever family.

Answer 16

They can choose to change the name if they want. depends how old the child is.

Answer 17

it is up to them as parents. but theymay ask their new child what thery would like to be named. my mum just said they change there name though!!!

Answer 18

Sometimes the baby will already have a name, depends on what kind of adoption you do.

Most mothers will let the adoption parents name the baby, but if the adoption parents like, they sometimes let the birth mom pick out the name.

Sometimes the baby will just be born, given away and not named.

It all depends. Hope I helped.

Answer 19

Most parents choose the name.

Answer 20

every situation is different ... and even if they already have a given name  in some cases the new parents might change it.

Answer 21

you tact on your last name to your new baby...they may or may not keep their old last name...it can turn into a middle name now.

Answer 22

If the child is a baby then the name may be changed. Most people who have a toddler and up will keep the given name.

Answer 23

Depends at what age you adopt, if the child is at an older age they would keep their name.

But at a young age the parents would choose the name =] x

Answer 24

When we adopted our son we kept his first and middle name and changed his last name to our. Because we adopted from a family member we didnt want to change the name. However we had the option of changing his name if we liked.

Answer 25

I think it depends on how old the child is, if its a baby then i think you can choose a name.

Answer 26

whatever they want

Answer 27

i had a name before i was adopted.  it got changed in foster care.  it got changed when i was adopted.  it got changed again when i came home.

Answer 28

it depends if the child is very young and does not have a name on record then you name him and even if the child is young like really young and has a name on record you can name him but if hes old enough to talk they already named him you cant change that now that the child is used to his or her name

Answer 29

In my experience when a baby is adopted the new parents give that child a name of their choosing but if an older child is adopted they may keep their original first name or second name as this helps the child because they are old enough to realise and come to terms with everything involved,and by keeping the same name it helps them become their own person,albeit in a new family.There are always exceptions though and my daughter was  name that the staff in the hospital called her by her adoptive parents

Answer 30

This question comes up a lot in international adoptions.  Most children adopted internationally are not infants, most are toddlers are older.  Often, their names are very ethnic, difficult to pronouce for Americans and might sound strange to Americans.  The concern is that the children will find it difficult in school with names that aren't "typical" American names.

However, I believe that children adopted from overseas bring very little with them, but their names are one thing that's THEIRS and should not be changed.  My children have very ethnic sounding names and haven't had any real problems at all.

Answer 31

Hopefully they get to keep their name if they already had one.