1 Introduction In England and Wales, as in other contexts (see He 2020), first names have shifted from markers of familial ties to key expressions of personal identity (Aldrin 2016; Finch 2008). Despite this shift, names still carry complex social and cultural meanings, often unrecognised by those who choose them (Pilcher 2016). While names are central to identity, their role in adoption, where personal and familial identities intersect, remains underexplored (Pilcher et al. 2020).
