Adoptive parents have the right to change their children’s names when they are adopted. With one exception, our boys have the same first names that they had when they came to us.
Their middle names were names that I associate with African American children. We changed them, but not for that reason. I did not want to keep names that I would not have given them myself. Some people may not like that and say that we have taken their heritage away from them. We have given them our family heritage instead.
Caleb’s name was Caleb Jamal and Tommy’s name was Thomas LaVerne. My mother delivered a male child who was still born. His name was Phillip Jonathon Paul. In honor of the brother that I never knew, Caleb is named Jonathon Caleb and Tommy is named Thomas Phillip. We have a friend whose name is Jamal; it is just not a name that I would give to my son. I don’t know anyone that would name a male child LaVerne.
Jacob’s name was Joshua Roshaun and Isaiah’s name was Isiah Malik Le’Quintin. We already had a son named Joshua. We could foresee a problem if they were called “Big Josh” and “Baby Josh” in the future, so his name is Joshua Jacob. I did not like Malik or Le’Quintin. Nancy’s father died when she was a toddler. In honor of his grandfather, Isaiah is named Isaiah Robert.
Walter was old enough to have some say as to what his name should be. A fine young man named Matthew has helped us with child care. Walter asked to be named after him, so he is Matthew Walter. We have tried, with mixed success, to start calling him Matthew. For now, he is Matthew some of the time at home and all of the time at school.
We were amazed that their birth mother came up with the names Joshua, Caleb and Isaiah for three children in a row. Joshua and Caleb were great heroes and Isaiah is one of the major prophets in the Old Testament.
Each of the boys retains some of the name that he was born with and a new name from our family. That is the way Nancy and I wanted it.
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