hi me and my husband are just about to start the adoption process we are looking to adopt a young child in nottingham we have got our first meeting on the 20th we have a few questions to ask but one question we want to ask but dont want to feel silly so please can you tell us. we would like to know if we could change the child's first name we are looking to adopt an under 2 and we know thay take our surname but could we have their first name changed?

twistedangel

Hey, i was adopted from birth, well acherly i was in foster care. i had my name changed. i mean totally changed. i think the child has to be under a certain age in order for u to name change tho, its not a silly question to ask. Everyone asked questions they thing maybe silly but im sure social services have heard it all b4. I didn't know i had my name changed until i received my adoption file last year an im 24 now, that was a bit disturbin.....

Nosnosna

You probably can change their name. Whether it's a good idea to do so is less clear.

If they respond to their current name, you really don't want to. They'll already have some sense of self associated with that name, and you don't want to disturb that... at best, they'll be confused and have a hard time adjusting to the change.

Fr_Chuck

At least here in the US you can, I do not know that I totally agree with it, since even by 2 they "know" thier name, while they can relearn a new name, adoption is alot of stress already for the child, getting a new home, new parents, a new first name is at least to me, un-needed added stress for the child.

And and I am adopted, my real first name was Charles ( I go by Chuck)
my parents wanted to change my first name to IVAN, so I guess I am basis and glad they did not.