I've talked about this issue before, but not for a while. What's in a name? A great deal of thought, time and hope. And often times, in an adoption situation, you are not the only one naming your child. In our case, as in many others, our daughter "came with" a first, middle and last name. When we were able to officially adopt her, there was no question about changing her last name to match ours - she was now part of our family. But we really liked her first and middle name, kept it, and gave her a Hebrew name when she was converted. Here are some things to keep in mind, and some places to look while you think it over.

-- Does s/he have a name already? If your child has already been named, you need to consider whether you will keep all or part of his/ her name. This is something that should not be considered lightly.

-- Do you have a Hebrew name in mind? Many Jews have the custom to name the next generation after deceased relatives. I know that my husband and I both have several relatives who have passed away, and we hope to have the opportunity to give their names to our future children.

-- Do you want your child's Hebrew name to complement their English name? For example, Debby and Devorah, Rebecca and Rivkah, Benjamin and Binyamin.

-- What name to you want your child to be known by? Some people are known by their Hebrew name only or go by their middle name (everyone remember H. Ross Perot?). This may be a good solution to keeping a child's birth name if you don't actually want to call him/ her by it.

-- Don't forget to have some fun and go through those baby name books! There are also some good resources on the web - check out:
- About.com
- Judaism 101

...And some books as well:

Beyond Sarah and Sam: An Enlightened Guide to Jewish Baby Naming by Linda Rosenkrantz
Best Baby Names for Jewish Children by Alfred J. Kolatch
The New Jewish Baby Book: Names, Ceremonies, Customs—A Guide for Today's Families by Anita Diamant
The Complete Book of Hebrew Baby Names by Smadar Shir Sidi
Complete Dictionary of English and Hebrew First Names by Alfred J. Kolatch