Do you need a different confirmation name if you already have a saint's name?

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My wife and I are catholic. I honestly don’t remember my confirmation name and have become much closer to God and my faith recently than when I was growing up. My son is getting confirmed this year. He was baptized with a first name and middle name that are both saints names (Nicholas Peter). He is now being asked to pick a confirmation name. However, our church is explaining something that makes a ton of sense, but not something my wife or I were ever told before.

The instructions to my son for picking a name state that if they were baptized with a saints name (and he was), that they have a special connection to that saint and should use THAT name as their confirmation name to strengthening the relationship between their baptism and their confirmation. To me, that makes complete sense because because when we are baptized, we cannot speak for ourselves and are also too young to know what’s going on. So, we have God parents to speak on our behalf. When we get old enough to understand what is being asked of us, we “confirm” what was said for us at our baptism and our belief and desire to be part of the church. Assuming I have this right, the explanation makes sense.

However, my wife is stuck on that because she believes that the confirmation name is supposed to be a different and additional name. Her’s is. “It’s always been that way” and something like “Nicholas Peter Nicholas” doesn’t make any sense.

Who is right?
 
Well, in theory one should be familiar with their namesake saint because they should of been taught to pray to and rely on that saint.

However, sometimes a person has an affinity for another saint. A student may love St. John Bosco or love animals and love St. Francis.

My husband has a saint name but has never felt any particular affinity for that saint. He picked his own. I had no patron saint, I was forced to pick the saint of my godparent who I was forced to have be my sponsor. I now have my own, chosen patron saint.
 
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I used my baptismal name for confirmation and it is not a saint’s name. In some cultures they append the confirmation name, but I know plenty of people who either didn’t choose a different name or who forgot it long ago. It is certainly not something the church requires.

There is something to be said to being confirmed with your baptismal name. Confirmation is the second half of the dual sacrament of baptism in that it completes or strengthens what was begun in baptism.
 
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Choosing a name for confirmation is a pious custom. It’s done in some places and not done in others. Hence, it’s not something where the Church has formal rules. If your son would like to adopt another saint as a patron, then he can. If he would like to pursue a deeper relationship with the patron saint(s) of his baptism, then that is also wonderful.

Personally I don’t care if someone chooses a confirmation name. What I think really matters is having friends among the saints who can offer inspiration and guidance. And on a practical level, no one ever uses the confirmation name again after the confirmation Mass.
 
We were told you could pick your own or a different name. I know some of my class did choose their given saint’s name. I picked a different saint as I did not like my given name very much and liked the idea of getting to choose an additional name.
 
I really think you should just let your son pick a saint he likes and feels a connection to. If it happens to be St Nicholas or St Peter, fine, but if it’s someone else that should be fine too, he can just be connected to 3 saints not two.
 
Yes, that was the plan. I just want to be able to explain to him why he would do it one way or another and all of these responses have been helpful. He will be happy to hear there is no “right” way and can do as he sees fit.
 
For me, it was the opposite. I chose St. Joseph for my Confirmation name, but now as an adult, I have grown to have a special devotion to St. Albert the Great, where Albert is my given name. If I would have known about it back then, I think it would have been awesome to have chosen St. Albert!

But, as others have said, let your son pick it since he will grow in devotion to that saint and feel a special connection to them…
 
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