The adoption process for birth parents
Information about signing the consent form for adoption, what to do if you change your mind, your child's name before and after adoption, what personal information you can give to your child, and your say in who the adoptive parents are.
Your child’s name after adoption
If your child is newly born, you must register your baby's birth and name your baby. This will be the baby's legal name until the adoption order.
Adoption services will discuss with the adoptive parents the advantages of a child retaining their birth name. If the adoptive parents wish to add an extra middle name at the time of the adoption, this will be discussed with you. Usually your child’s surname will be changed to the adoptive parents’ surname.
The Adoption Act 2000 says that the given name of a child aged over 1 year old should not be changed.
A child who is over 12 years of age can choose their own names. Some choose to include their birth family's surname.