Baptismal name different than birth name?

[fathergj]

Is it permissible to baptize a person with a different name than their birth name? If so, what, if any, are the implications for the way we would properly address that individual after their baptism? Thank you for any help.

 

[Joannm]

The Baptismal name is not a legal name. We have had a person in RCIA who was Muslim and used a Christian name for her baptism. She uses her baptismal name but not for any official purposes.

 

[Phemie]

The Baptismal name is not a legal name. We have had a person in RCIA who was Muslim and used a Christian name for her baptism. She uses her baptismal name but not for any official purposes.

It varies by jurisdiction. In some places the parents have to present a birth certificate before baptism and the name(s) must be the same for both. In our province, if there is difference between the records at Vital Statistics and at the Church, the Church normally trumps. That’s because until about 2 years ago the priests/ministers/pastors were responsible for filing the ‘Return of Live Birth’ and Vital Stats recorded the Baptism as well as the birth – I’ve actually called them to see if they had a date of baptism on record when there was a dispute at our end.

In our province it’s also the case that the record keeping for the native population is dismal. In the case of our local native population, they were nomadic until ~50 years ago so the only records kept were by the itinerant priest who came to baptize each year at the time they came to sell their furs. At that time he’d record any death, he’d celebrate the marriages and he’d baptize all the babies.

 

[St_Francis]

My grandfather filled out my baptismal form and my parents my birth form, so I ended up with my names in different order on each. Legally, I go by my birth certificate (in the US), but my Catholic records are all backwards.