Can I change my stepchild's first name during adoption in Maine?

Yes, you can ask for a new first name for your stepchild in the adoption paperwork you file with the Maine Probate Court. How the court handles a first name change in your particular case is something the Probate Court clerk in your county can confirm.

How the name request fits in:

• Stepparent adoptions in Maine are filed in the Probate Court in your county, under Maine Revised Statutes Title 18-C, Article 9.
• The name you want your stepchild to have after the adoption is something you decide up front, so your documents can be prepared with it from the start.
• Once the adoption is final, the Maine Office of Vital Records is the agency to contact about your child's birth certificate and how the name will appear on it.

Name choices families weigh:

• Keeping the current first name and changing only the last name
• Choosing a new first name
• Adding a family surname as a middle name
• Combining surnames
• Changing nothing at all

Any of these is a personal decision. If you want to change more than the last name, mention it to the clerk early so you know what the court expects.

Talk with your child first. A first name is closely tied to who a child feels they are. Even a young child may have strong feelings about it, so it helps to have the conversation before anything is filed. In Maine, a child who is 12 or older has a formal role in the adoption itself (18-C M.R.S. § 9-302). Involving an older child in the name decision, and not only in the adoption, is a thoughtful step in its own right.

Other things to consider:

• If the other biological parent is involved, a first name change may need more discussion. Whether that parent has any say in a name change depends on your family's facts, so ask the Probate Court cl