When thinking about adoption reunions, people often imagine birth parents reconnecting with their children. But there are also many adoptees out there wondering how to find siblings who were lost to adoption. Most of them don’t even know if they have any biological brothers or sisters out there, who may be sharing their genes and their questions.

Searching for your birth parents can be extremely challenging on an emotional level, as there is something daunting about reaching out to someone who - for whatever reason - at one time became lost to you. This gnawing fear that they may not be wanted is one of the most common reasons adoptees don’t search for their biological parents. However, your siblings didn’t have any more say than you did in the scenario of adoption. Had you grown up together, you may have been the best of friends, bringing comfort, laughter and safety into each other’s world. You were equally deprived of each other, and you both share the experience of having lost a sibling. So finding your brothers or sisters can give you a priceless second chance of building the special bond you may have been missing out on.

The world’s largest online adoption reunion registry, Adopted.com, can help you effectively search for your biological siblings, regardless of whether you already know some things about them or are unsure if they even exist. This article will show you the best ways to search with the information you have.

What is Adopted.com?

Adopted.com is a vast international online platform that uses voluntary adoption records to help its over 1 million members find their biological family members. Basically, users register for free on our website and fill in a short survey with information about themselves and the relatives they are searching for. Our proprietary algorithm then cross-references this data with that provided by the other members and lets you know as soon as there is a match. Perhaps the greatest benefit of using an adoption reunion registry such as ours is that once you have found a match, you can be sure that they were also searching for you. And you can make contact instantly, by direct messaging each other straight from our platform.

How do I find out if I have any siblings using Adopted.com?

Finding siblings lost to adoption can be even more difficult than searching for your birth parents. That is because while all people have a biological mother and father, you can’t say the same about brothers and sisters. Your adoption file can provide information about the adults who have brought you into this world. But even if you can access your adoption records, in many cases, no mention is made of other children in the family. Furthermore, your siblings could have been born years after the adoption process was finalised, or they may have been adopted as well.

Fortunately, Adopted.com offers features that align your search in all situations. For example, you can take a DNA test with any major DNA testing service, and upload the data file onto our platform. Our DNA matching system will then cross-reference your genetic information with that of every member who has also uploaded their data. So you could very possibly find a full or half-brother or sister, but also cousins, aunts or uncles and other extended biological family members. If you get a lead through DNA, you can simply message them privately and start the process of reuniting with your birth family member immediately.

Looking for an adopted sibling? At Adopted.com, we make the search easier. Register for free today to find your adopted sibling.

How do I find my siblings without using DNA?

If the DNA results have not turned up any leads or you would rather not have this test done, there are still ways to find your biological brothers or sisters using our voluntary adoption records. Here are some other good ways to search on Adopted.com:

Using the Namesearch feature

If you have some information regarding the sibling you seek, such as their name, place of adoption, or other names associated with the adoption situation, you can use your Namesearch page inside your member account. This intuitive and easy-to-use feature works like a search engine, comparing the data you have entered against the Adopted.com member database. So if your sibling has ever registered to our website, you could soon find a match in this way as well.

Searching for a different family member

If you are an adoptee yourself, it can be easier for you to locate your birth parents, as you may be able to access information about them from your adoption records. This is especially true if you were in an open rather than a closed adoption. Once you are able to find them, they may provide further insight regarding any other siblings you may have. If you can’t find your birth parents either, a grandparent, aunt or uncle may also be in a position to help. So any family matches you connect with may bring you closer to finding your birth sibling.

Relying on profile matching to be found

The survey you are asked to fill in upon registering to Adopted.com is carefully designed to help you make the most out of as little data as possible. So if you have no information at all regarding your biological siblings or other family members, don’t hesitate to provide as much information as you can about yourself. An adopted sibling may have had better luck in finding out things about you and may be able to match with you using your answers. Similarly, if you were the one adopted, they may remember things about you or may have asked your birth parents about you (who may also be searching for their child given up for adoption).

How do I find my siblings given up for adoption?

Sometimes, you may be aware that one of your siblings or half-siblings was given up for adoption. In this case, the best thing you can do is to try to gather as much information as possible about them and the circumstances under which the event took place. You can do so by:

  • Asking your parents about your sibling’s birth name and date, as well as the adoption date and location and any other relevant information they can remember. This can be a difficult conversation and it may not always yield the best results, but it has the potential to help you get some very specific answers.

  • If you cannot get the needed information from your parents, you can try asking other close relatives (grandparents, aunts/uncles, older siblings, etc.) whether they can tell you anything about your sibling lost to adoption.

  • If you were also adopted, try accessing your own adoption records to see if there is any mention of your siblings. This could be especially effective if you were both placed in foster care before being adopted.

  • If you are aware of the adoption agency that was used you could make a request to see if they can share any information regarding your siblings’s adoption (their response will depend on the agency's policies).

Once you have gathered all the data you can get, you can use it to fill in your 10-question survey as accurately as possible and try searching for your adopted siblings with Namesearch.

What if I can’t find my siblings on Adopted.com?

While our database is the largest of its kind in the world, your siblings may not yet be registered to it. Or you may not have enough information to produce an accurate match. If this happens, it is important not to give up hope. As long as your profile is active, your brother or sister may join at any time and be matched with you instantly. Or you may be able to come across new details that will help you narrow down your search.

And until that happens, you should know that you are not alone. The Adopted.com Community is here to support you and share your journey. Anytime you feel weary, disheartened or emotionally spent, a caring group of people who have all been where you are standing will be there to share their stories and inspire you to keep going.