Birth certificate of abandoned babies?

aruna

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If a baby is abandoned in an orphanage, what name would be on the birth certificate? I assume it would simply be "unknown"? And if the baby was later adopted, could the adoptive parent(s) put their own name on the BC?
Time and place: British India, around 1947.

Thanks!
 

cornflake

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I'm probably not any help because I just saw your time/place thing and I've no idea if what's true now and has been for at least a few decades in the U.S. was then there. However, for whatever it's worth, in the U.S., finalized adoption can generate a new bc with the parents' names, yes.
 

sheadakota

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I'm not sure about the time and place you want but in the the US, when an abandoned child is placed in foster care or orphanage, a birth certificate is made up with the name baby Jane doe, or bent John doe. Parents are listed as John Doe and Jane Doe. When baby is adopted a new B C is issued. Birth date is sometimes listed as the first day of the month they were found.
 

Priene

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Judging from this, I suspect the baby may not have been registered at all, though I imagine the orphanage would have given them a name.
 

Orianna2000

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My parents did emergency foster care in the US, during the 1980s and 1990s, so this might not help much, but if a newborn was given up or abandoned and didn't have a name, my parents were permitted to name the baby. Of course, whoever adopted the baby in the long run could (and usually did) change the baby's name to something of their own choosing.