So, you may be thinking, if I name my child can the adoptive parents change his/her name?
Yes, the adoptive parents will be your child’s parents and they have legal rights to change his or her name to a name of their own choosing. Sometimes adoptive parents may keep one of the names that a birthmother gave her child. They may keep the first name a birthmom gave him and use it as middle or do something with his name to acknowledge the name she chose as well. With the more open adoptions of today, adoptive parents and birthparents may choose a name together during pregnancy or sometimes adoptive parents may ask the birthmother to choose a middle name for the baby.

Some people may try to sway you away from choosing a name of your own choosing for your baby. I think that they think you will not become attached to the baby if you do not name him or her. But the truth is, that’s your baby growing in your belly and regardless of whether or not you choose a name for your child, you are always going to have a bond with him or her and have some sort of attachment (even if it’s not physical) to your child. Just as adoptive parents have every right to choose a name of their own for the child, you have every right to choose a name as well, even if it will only be his/her name for a short while.

What name should I put on the birth certificate?
Whatever name you want! If you have chosen your own name for your child, then put that name. If you have chosen a name together with the adoptive parents, then put that name. Personally speaking, I put the first and middle S and A had chosen so his original birth certificate had the first and middle name they had chosen with my last name.

I’m not saying that you should choose a name or not, I am saying, think long and hard about this decision because I don’t think I gave the naming issue a little thought.


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Related Posts:
The Name Issue
Baby Names
The Name Game