When adopting can you change the childs name?

Question

My wife and I want to adopt our next baby and will start the classes and home study in the fall. We have been looking at our county website of children( because we are going to do foster to adopt we can't afford private) and well some of the kids have to put it mildly ghetto names. We would like to rename them something more "normal" We are also looking at older children like a year to 3 years because everyone wants babies and babies are hard to get. I don't want my child to have the name Lexus, or Gucci or La this or Ta that.

Answer 1

Oh course you can! My little sister was adopted from China and her name was Xia Xiao and we renamed her. Good luck with you and your future bundle of joy!

Answer 2

Yes you can change the name- but if the child is old enough to be aware of his/her name then you ask if he/she wants a new name.  Let them help pick it out.

Answer 3

Why not? Angelina Jolie got an Asian kid. He had just the average Asian name, which was confusing as can be and then she changed his name to Pax! Of course, then again you could always name him Tyler or something more common if you wanted to. Cause Pax isn't the most common name! That's for sure!

Answer 4

Yes you can change your kid's name.

Answer 5

Yeah, just have it changed.  But I would keep the "Ghetto" name for the middle name so that the kid/bio parent if they ever hook up doesn't feel like you just threw the old name away.  Plus, everyone should have a funky middle name to hide from their peers.  Mine's Marvolyn.  Tell the kid that you shifted it to the middle bc you were afraid they would get made fun of for having a name like "Gucci" and have trouble getting a job or something.

Answer 6

If a child is three years old and has a ghettoish name, I'd maybe give them a first name to put on a resume, and put their birth name as a middle name. that way, if "Charles Lavonte Smith" grows up and resents you for changing his name, he can go by his middle name.  

A name like Lexus is easy... Alexis.  

Another idea... there was a little boy I was considering at one point named Quinmario. I would go with something like Quentin Mario (your last name) in a situation like that.  

Take what you get and go with it. Hopefully, you'll come up with a compromise that will provide your child with an acceptable name that you like and your child won't feel compromises who s/he feel s/he really is.

Answer 7

Are you seriously considering renaming a three year old?!?

That child will have lost so much by the time they are adopted into your family.  One of the only things they will have left is the name they have been called for their entire life!  And you just want to yank that away from them too?

It's terrible that adoption has to be founded on loss, but to actively encourage that loss further when it's not necessary seems cruel.  Plus it gives the message that this child isn't good enough as they are, they have to change to be loved and cared for by you.

Answer 8

if you adopt a child yes you can change their name, it is your child. But I suggest you don't do it if the child is old enough to know his or her name, it might be confusing for them, and going to a new home and having a new family would be confusing enough. Maybe you could give them a nickname based on their name, or call them by the middle name.

Answer 9

These type agencies will discourage you from changing their names, but yes you are allowed to do so in most states.  Some states limited your doing this to children under two years of age.  My son was adopted at age two and had a name that was very ethnic, I was not fond of the name, but would have been fine with it other than he was a Jr.  During the adoption the Judge asked me if I wanted to change his name.  I immediately said yes, and decided on a name very similar to his birth name.  Within  thirty days Rueben became Ben, Benjamin.

I noted this is your second question about adoption, it is obviously very important to you and you are giving it the deep thought it deserves.  

God Bless

Answer 10

yes of corce you can change the name it comman to change it.

Answer 11

Good for you for 1) wanting to adopt and 2) not making the kid live life with a 'ghetto' name.  

Yes, you can change the child's name when you adopt.  You can even change a biological child's name if you want to.  It's legal.

Answer 12

Yes you can.

Answer 13

Yes, when you adopt, you are given the option of changing your child's name. If you are going to adopt a child that already know their name though, I would recommend making the new name sound at least similar to the old one.

The child will have a lot of adjustments to make to his or her new life. You don't want to confuse him/her too much.

Answer 14

We have six kids that we have recently adopted and all of them wanted to change their names.  Their ages are 6 years to 11 years so they definitely had a say. But to answer the question...yes by all means. Once adopted you Can change the name. Our kids actually started going by their new names even before the adoption took place. Even in school they were going by their new names. You just can't do it legally until you're in court. As a matter of fact, the judge will ask you to tell the court if you want to change their name and what it will be.  Have fun!

Answer 15

Yes, you can change their names. We opted to just change middle names. Our first was 4 & 1/2 when he came to live with us. At first I didn't like his name it wasn't anything crazy just kinda old fashioned. Now I couldn't imagine him being called anything else. Of course this is 8 years later. His foster mom changed all of her adopted kids names. Our last one to adopt which was this year (#6) I wasn't crazy about her name, but by the time parental rights were terminated I loved it. We just changed the spelling and changed her middle name. Miah Grace. We chose Grace because we had her 2 brothers and she had a baby and we know that it was the grace of God that protected her. You will be suprised at how you may grow to like their names and if not you definetly can change them. Our 6 year old that we adopted we asked her if she wanted to change her name. her first name wasn't an option because I always wanted a Sarah, and we ended up keeping her middle name the same. My mom has 2 grandsons with the same name, but that's ok. And no I don't think Lexus or Gucci would grow on me, but I do know a Lexie which is better so you might want to change it a little. Hope this helps & good luck. You will be so blessed. I know we are.

Answer 16

my adopted brother had the name of his birth father, who was in and out of jail. My parents didn't want to create emotional baggage by leaving him with that name, it would be like an incredibly strong link to his past, plus the name was made for teasing. on the day he was adopted, we legally changed his name as well.

i would suggest not changing the name if the child is older than 5, it would be too hard for them. it's very easy to change small children's names, as long as you don't forget. my brother is very quick to correct anyone who calls him by his old name, in fact he doesn't like his old name much at all.

Answer 17

When you adopt a child the birth certificate changes. All of the parents names and everything is taken off. You CAN change the name. Good luck!

Answer 18

yes. we are going through that now and when you get to court, your attorney should be able to handle it appropriately. it does not cost any more ( not here anyway) and the judge will ask if there is any reason why the child should keep the given birth name... i also changed my name legally a few years ago. was very simple to do and kept all the same info as ss number and drivers license number. just had a full new name... enjoy your new baby

Answer 19

Boy=Itachi

Girl=Sakura

Answer 20

yes indeed. angelina jolie did it. lol

Answer 21

Yes.  But depending on the age of the child, I would move the first name to a middle name.  So it's not confusing to them and they will always have that part of their identity.