While adopting internationally is noble, pronouncing foreign names can be tricky.
Adopting a child internationally is one of the most selfless things a person can do. Adoptive parents change their children's names for a variety of reasons, including to make a child's name easier to pronounce. The exact process of change your foreign adopted child's name varies between states, but it generally is the same basic procedure. A name change can make your child fit in more easily and bring you closer together.
Instructions
1. Decide whether a name change is the right thing to do. There is a lot of debate in the adoption community as to whether changing an adopted child's name is a good idea. Some people consider it wrong to do, especially to an older child. If pronunciation is the issue, you might want to consider making the original first name your child's middle name. This will give him a connection to his birth country and heritage.
2. Pick a new name. Bookstores have many books on baby names available, and you also can use a website such as babynames.com to help decide on a name. Depending on the age of your child, it might be a good idea to allow her to help pick out her new name. This will make the transition to using the new name easier.
3. Start the process of re-adopting your child. International adoptions usually have two steps: foreign adoption and domestic adoption. While the foreign adoption will make you the child's parents, by re-adopting in your home state, your child will obtain official U.S. citizenship, which includes a birth certificate. Contact your state's Department of Human Services to find out start this process.
4. Change your child's name during the re-adoption process. The family court judge overseeing the case will ask you whether or not you want to change your child's name while completing the re-adoption process. Simply give him your child's new name at this time.
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