The 'given name or names' of a child for the purposes of s 101(5) of the Adoption Act 2000 (NSW) means names conferred on the child other than the surname, without requiring official conferral or recognition by the child. The relevant time for ascertaining given names is the time of placement with the proposed adopting parents, not the time of the adoption application. The addition of a name constitutes a 'change' requiring special reasons. However, the adoptive parents' established use of a new name during the pre-adoption care period can be weighed as part of the special reasons assessment, particularly where the child has come to recognise and respond to the name.
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