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Reunion Island, which was deserted until 1665, was populated by successive waves of immigration following colonisation with the arrival of settlers, the development of slavery, then of indenture. In the last decades, thanks to modernisation and economic growth resulting from the change from colony to department status, Reunion Island has become a centre of attraction in the Indian Ocean.The current population, with its multi-ethnic origins, is a veritable kaleidoscope of intermingling beliefs, customs, languages, etc.This diversity has always been at the heart of Creole families and is the vector of values, skills, property and names. But, at the same time, it causes problems, fosters secrets, provokes conflict and leads to fractures.How does each individual stand in terms of transmission (receiving/giving) and links (bonding/unbonding) in the context of plural-identity families? The complexity and dynamics of each situation give rise to the singularity and richness, but also sometimes to the fragility and suffering of each family.In order to gain a clearer insight into filiation, this study is based on research into family names. There are two main lines of study:history and legislation (application of the Code Noir or Negro Laws, emigration patterns and the transformation of names to suit French civil status requirements, etc.);the results of clinical study into child psychopathology (consideration of everything relevant to the childâ??s name in therapy).The aim of this study is to analyse the symbolic function of the act of name-giving and the consequences of discrepancies in this identity-building process. For to be named is to take oneâ??s place among others and to be thus recognised, to experience sameness and otherness, to acquire a historical dimension, gaining access to dreams and fiction. To be named is to fit into a temporal framework, because names transcend time and are unaltered by racial mixity; it is perhaps also a means of regaining some degree of happiness and freedom.