is a name change required

No — a name change is NOT required as part of the adoption.

Whether or not to change your child's name is completely your choice. Many families do choose to change the child's last name to match the family, but it's entirely optional.

If you do want to change the child's name, the adoption is the perfect time to do it — the name change is included in the final adoption order at no extra cost. When the court finalizes the adoption, the new name becomes official, and the new birth certificate will reflect whatever name you choose.

If you prefer to keep the child's current name, that's perfectly fine too. The adoption proceeds the same way.

In our questionnaire, there's a section where you indicate what name you want for the child after the adoption — either their current name or a new name. We prepare all the documents accordingly.

Do you have a preference about the name, or are you still deciding?