Names and naming in adoption: Birth heritage and family-making
This review examined research about naming in adoption, using database searches, UK research publications and thematic coding. It organised the literature around birth heritage and forming adoptive family identities. Names were connected with cultural identity, birth-family links and belonging. The authors identified limited research directly examining adoptees’ experiences of naming.
Limitations: The reviewed literature was mostly about US adoption and often represented adopters’ perspectives. It is not a new sample of adoptees or exclusively England-and-Wales evidence. Searches were restricted to English-language publications. Conclusions about missing evidence describe the review at its publication date.
- Research type
- Critical literature review with mapping elements
- Source reviewed
- Abstract
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Age group
- Mixed
Study context and review
Age group as recorded: Mixed
Adoption context: Domestic and intercountry adoption
Programme: Not recorded
Institutional context: No relationship identified in the material checked
No adoption-sector organisational relationship identified from metadata reviewed. Funding and conflicts were not comprehensively audited; this is not confirmation of institutional independence.
Bibliographic screening. Bibliographic relationships are not a bias or safety rating.
Topics: identity, names, Records access, research methodology, transracial adoption
Review scope: Source checked: Abstract. This does not imply full-text or independent human verification.
Country as recorded: England and Wales policy context; international reviewed literature
- Funding
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Commissioner
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Funder role
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Declared conflicts
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Recruitment
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Adoptee involvement
- Not yet checked for this entry
Entry: study_0763ffc78f8d93ac