Do Birth Parents Have to be Named on the Birth Certificate?

At American Adoptions, we do everything we can to protect the privacy and confidentiality of birth parents who wish to keep their identities private. Because you decide how much or how little you want others to know, you control much of the level of privacy throughout your adoption. We understand it may be important to maintain your privacy, including the information on the birth certificate for your baby.

You and the adoptive family you choose for your child are sharing the adoption journey together. This makes the medical background and some pertinent personal information important for both the child and his or her adoptive parents to have access to. Any and all personal information is still protected and kept private to anyone outside of your adoption, including birth certificate information.  

If you’re ready to start the adoption process with our agency or wanting more information on privacy in adoption, call us toll-free today at 1-800-ADOPTION, or visit our online contact forms for prospective birth mothers and prospective adoptive parents. 

Here’s how birth certificates work in adoption, and how your identifying information is always protected: 

“If You Put a Baby Up for Adoption, Do You Have to Put Your Name on the Paperwork?” 

Yes. Although you’ll need to volunteer a lot of personal information for legal purposes, as well as for the long-term health and wellbeing of your baby (like your medical history, social history, etc.), that information will be sealed so that only your child and their parents have access to relevant and necessary information. 

It’s important that you’re always honest with us throughout the adoption process, about everything from potential exposure to drugs or alcohol to information about the baby’s father. We’re not here to judge or to get you in trouble. All information is used to help find the right parents for your baby, and to help give your child lifelong access to potentially life-saving medical and social history and information. 

“If I’m Putting My Baby Up for Adoption, Do I Have to Put My Name on the Birth Certificate?” 

Yes. Your name will need to be on the birth certificate that you’ll sign at the hospital. However, that birth certificate, along with your name, will ultimately be sealed and made private. 

Some women have also asked, “Can you put a baby up for adoption if Dad isn’t on the birth certificate?” 

You do not have to put the birth father’s name if he’s not involved in the adoption process.

You also don’t have to put the baby’s name on the birth certificate, but you can if you want to. The adoptive parents often name the baby, or you may name the baby together — this is something you may wish to discuss with the adoptive family that you choose. 

After the baby is born, someone will bring you a birth certificate for you to sign in the hospital. You’ll fill out your name, and you can choose to include the father’s name and/or baby’s name if you wish. Your adoption specialist will help you create a hospital plan for this part of the process to make sure that you’re comfortable with and prepared for everything that’s going on. 

You’ll also sign your consent to the adoption after you’ve waited a state-mandated minimum period of time. This means that you’re voluntarily terminating your legal parental rights and placing your baby with their parents. Again, your adoption specialist and a legal representative will be there to make sure you understand this process and that you’re confident in your decision. 

“If a Child is Adopted from Birth, Are the Adoptive Parents on the Birth Certificate?” 

They are, but only on the second birth certificate. In adoption, there are actually two birth certificates. The first one, which will include your name, is called the original birth certificate. The second one, which will include the adoptive parents’ names, is called the amended birth certificate. 

The amended birth certificate is given to the adoptive parents several months after the baby’s placement with them. Your name will not be on this document, in order to protect your privacy. If the adoptive parents intended to change the baby’s name from one that you gave him or her prior to the adoption, that name change would be reflected on the amended birth certificate. 

For more information on how your personal information is used on your baby’s birth certificate, call us toll-free at 1-800-ADOPTION, or visit us online.

Some birth parents have asked, “When a mother gives a child up for adoption, can she keep the birth certificate?” The answer is no because that document will be sealed by the court to protect your privacy. 

Today, almost all adoption relationships are open to some degree rather than closed. Adopted children always know that they were adopted, and they almost always know the identity of their birth parents. This means that most adoptees today don’t need to turn to their original birth certificates in order to learn the identity of their birth parents because they already know their birth family — oftentimes, they frequently keep in touch with their birth family through open adoption. 

However, if you would prefer more privacy in your adoption, you can still choose a closed adoption in which your identity is kept private from the adoptive family and your child. But even in closed adoptions, depending on the state in which the adoption takes place, your child may still be able to request their original birth certificate and learn your name when they turn 18 years old.

There are also new state regulations that can allow you to include information about whether or not you wish to be contacted by your child if they decide to access their original birth certificate. To anyone other than your adult child, the original birth certificate, along with your identifying information, is sealed and private. 

We understand that privacy and confidentially is a major concern for many prospective birth parents who are placing their baby for adoption, so we work hard to ensure that your privacy is kept. If you have any questions about birth certificates, keeping your adoption confidential or if you just need general information about placing a baby for adoption, you can contact Michelle, a birth parent specialist and a birth parent herself, ready to answer any questions you have about adoption.       

“I am available to answer any questions that arise, particularly from birth moms, as I have been in your shoes and know how you are feeling.”  

You can ask Michelle questions about the adoption process online. You can also call us toll-free at 1-800-ADOPTION, or get free information with our online contact form for prospective birth mothers considering adoption here. Adoptive families wanting more information on adopting a child can click here to get more information. 

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