Change name to patron saint?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Chuck1
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
C

Chuck1

Guest
Hi I was wondering when you get confirmed and choose a patron saint for your name can you then ask people to call you that name instead of your given name weather is work ,school , forms ?

Can anyone help me ?
Thanks Charlie
 
Not unless you get a legal name change. Of course, you can tell people what to call you, but no, you can’t put that patron saint’s name down as your legal name on a form until, like I said, you get a legal name change, which most people do not.
 
Taking on the name of a patron saint is more of a pious tradition than anything else. Canon Law does not necessitate that those to be confirmed must take a patron saint name at all, so there is certainly no obligation to change one’s name.
 
Chuck1 said:
Okay thanks for response , why don’t people change it ?
Click to expand...
Name changes can be expensive. There’s the cost of not just the legal change itself but then changing passports, driving licences, bank details, etc.
I want to phase into using my confirmation name and eventually add it to my legal name but it’s very costly. If and when I I get married I will be changing my name anyway so I’m waiting until then - two birds with one stone, so to speak.
 
I think you can use any name you want so long as it is not used for fraudulent purposes.

BUT when you sign a legal document you also have to list your legal name.

You can choose to change your legal name but it is not required if you just want to use it for personal reasons.

My daughter has Jessica on one birth certificate, Stephanie on another (adopted), and everyone except family knows her by Chantelle (sp?).
 
Usually a Christian goes by his or her baptismal name, and that’s usually also their legal first name (hence how it’s called a “Christian name” in some areas).

What might make sense would be for our middle names to be our confirmation names, but this has not been the custom in real life.
 
Chuck1 said:
Okay thanks for response , why don’t people change it ?
Click to expand...
Because our name is who we are. God knows us by our name. Our parents choose our names. It really bothers me that here in Texas a lot of the people go by their second name instead of their first name, they claim that going by their first name is pretentious.
 
Hi thanks all , I wasn’t baptised you see so could I change it for baptism purposes althoguh it’s not my legal name ?
 
Current practice here is to encourage people to use their Baptismal name for Confirmation. It is not required, but encourages them to focus on that saint.

You are free to take any saint.

My father’s name was Bennet, but the priest who baptized him was unaware of Saint Bennet; so baptized him Benedict. My father thought that was his legal name and used it throughout his life. When he died and we applied for his insurance proceeds we hit a snag. The policy was for Bennedict, but the death certificate was for Bennet. Fortunately his mother was still alive and provided an affidavit certifying that the two referred to the same person.
 
Chuck1 said:
Hi I was wondering when you get confirmed and choose a patron saint for your name can you then ask people to call you that name instead of your given name weather is work ,school , forms ?

Can anyone help me ?
Thanks Charlie
Click to expand...
choosing a confirmation saint name does not change your legal name unless you go through the civil law process

that is expensive and time consuming, and unneccessary which is why people usually don’t do it
 
Joe_Kelley said:
Current practice here is to encourage people to use their Baptismal name for Confirmation. It is not required, but encourages them to focus on that saint.

You are free to take any saint.

My father’s name was Bennet, but the priest who baptized him was unaware of Saint Bennet; so baptized him Benedict. My father thought that was his legal name and used it throughout his life. When he died and we applied for his insurance proceeds we hit a snag. The policy was for Bennedict, but the death certificate was for Bennet. Fortunately his mother was still alive and provided an affidavit certifying that the two referred to the same person.
Click to expand...
my brother is Patrick Michael and the Irish priest who baptized him and the Irish godparents used Padraig (I think that is the Celtic spelling) which is on his baptismal certificate, was not a problem until time for marriage prep but as all the witnesses were still around (except the old priest who is now no doubt in heaven, he was a living saint).

I find and print out saints for all my confirmation and RCIA candidates based on their given names and have never been unable to find one, even Amber, Brandy and Maddison.
 
Though I never added my confirmation name legally to my given name, I began using it as part of my complete name, when asked. It is not on my driver’s license, but it is on two of my college diplomas. 😃
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top