My name is a sin

[everythingiscon]

My name means ‘‘your mother will be reincarnated’’ can I change it to a christian name?? is this a sin?? My family is christian though.

 

[Contra_Mundum_1]

Well, it isn’t a sin but not exactly appropriate for a Christian family to name a child so. You can cnahge it if you want. At confirmation you take a name - normally of a saint, so that could become your new name.

 

[everythingiscon]

They chose the name because it is traditional for our family, otherwise I would have had a normal American name.

 

[PaulfromIowa]

I wouldn’t think that it is a sin for you to use this name as you didn’t choose it. However, I would choose a Christian name.

 

[thewanderer]

It is not at all sinful to have such a name and neither is it necessary to change it, especially since it has such a significance in your family. However, if you personally do not like it then of course you can always change it.

 

[RoseMary131]

My name means ‘‘your mother will be reincarnated’’ can I change it to a christian name?? is this a sin?? My family is christian though.

Did your parents give you this name because it means "‘your mother will be reincarnated’’?

Do they believe in reincarnation?

 

[everythingiscon]

Did your parents give you this name because it means "‘your mother will be reincarnated’’?

Do they believe in reincarnation?

My parents gave me my name because my dad’s mother died before I was born and it fit with the meaning.

I don’t think my dad is much of a christian, he prays from time to time but I think it is because he is more of a scientific person [he is a doctor] and my mom believes in God but I do not know if she truly believes in reincarnation or not, my sister told me she made a remark about reincarnation saying, ‘‘If I get reincarnated…’’ but truly, only God knows, my mother makes statements, sometimes, not because she means it, just for the fun of it, she does not like the Catholic Religion however because she says if you date someone from catholicism, you have to convert or else… I don’t know where she got that from… but I am off topic!

 

[Cor_Ignis]

As everyone already said, it’s not sinful to have that name or anything, but I also would like to change it if I had that name. I see that you want to convert to the Catholic Church, and if you get converted, when you get baptized you can choose your name. Tell the priest with what name do you want to be baptized. It’s such a great opportunity to get a true christian name.

 

[pollynova]

Your name is not a sin and it has no bearing on who are. Your name could be Satan Judas Hitler, that doesn’t mean you’re going to be evil!

Here’s a story I said in another thread about names.

I remember when we would stay at our foster grandma’s house. She had this book with about all the saints. I remember feeling sad because while all my cousins had saint names, there was no St. Polly. Grandma took me aside and said, “They are just named after saints. But you’ll BE a saint and have children named after you!”

Let’s say you do change your name. Then what? Will it make you more of a Christian? Will you become a better person? Of course not!

Please don’t change your name. Be proud of it! Own it! Be that first St. Whoever!

 

[Zekariya]

My name means ‘‘your mother will be reincarnated’’ can I change it to a christian name?? is this a sin?? My family is christian though.

In AD 533 Mercurius did not find being named after the Roman god Mercury as fitting for being pope and changed his name to John II. Pope John II was the first pope to take a new papal name. John II was called Mercurius all his Christian life before becoming pope.

Your name is your name. While its meaning is negative, you do not sin by retaining it as your name. If you want, you could try to legally change it to a Christian name or you can adopt a Christian name without any legal changes.

 

[ready]

If you are not baptized yet, and when you get baptized, you could use your baptismal name. I would. I’d even seriously consider getting my name legally changed to my baptismal name. God bless you.

 

[Boy_Wonder]

My name means ‘‘your mother will be reincarnated’’ can I change it to a christian name?? is this a sin?? My family is christian though.

Don’t worry about it. The 4th Commandment requires us to honor our parents. Don’t change the name they gave you. Live a holy life and let your heart be at ease. What you’re called has no effect on your soul. you didn’t choose the name for yourself.

 

[AlanFromWichita]

Changing your name because you are particularly attracted to another name for some reason, is your decisions; you don’t have to ask permission.

But if you are changing your name because of what it meant to your father who named you based on his love for both you and his mother, it would IMO be disrespectful to him and an act of separation from them both.

After all, “son of” something means “made after the likeness of,” which is why the Bible says we are “sons of God.” He gave you a name that apparently meant to him, “this baby is the likeness of my beloved mother,” which in fact you are since you are her descendant as well.

If you are to evangelize him into becoming a better Christian, you probably don’t want to start by rejecting the name he gave you before you were old enough to dispute it.

Alan

 

[everythingiscon]

Ok. Thanks.

 

[AlanFromWichita]

Don’t worry about it. The 4th Commandment requires us to honor our parents. Don’t change the name they gave you. Live a holy life and let your heart be at ease. What you’re called has no effect on your soul. you didn’t choose the name for yourself.

Oh, wow. For some odd reason I didn’t read this post before I sent mine. Sorry to duplicate.

Alan

 

[lerapt78]

OP, by any chance is your name “Encarnacion”??

That’s the first thought that came to my head because it’s a very common Spanish name and I could see how it could appear to have something to do with reincarnation, just by the way it sounds. The name “encarnacion” actually refers to Catholic incarnation, in which the spirit takes flesh (as in the case of Jesus) and is separate from the Hindu/Bhuddist/etc. beliefs of reincarnation.

Please don’t feel the need to answer if you don’t want to (I won’t feel slighted if you don’t reply to my post). And of course, ignore me completely if I’m way off base and this is not your name - I just wanted to throw it out there in case this is it so I could help alleviate any uncomfortable feelings you might have.

 

[Bonnie]

Please don’t change your name. Be proud of it! Own it! Be that first St. Whoever!

Polly - I like your story! But what your Grandma didn’t know is that Polly is a nickname for Mary. So you were named after a saint.

But so many names now are made up, it’s good to encourage people to be the first St. Whoever. I can just see the new canon of saints: St. Forest, St. Sierra, St. Dakota…

 

[AlanFromWichita]

I’ve changed my mind. I’m not going to tell you that you shouldn’t change your name. I cannot know how you feel about it. I personally would keep my name if I found out that it meant reincarnation, but since I’m told my name is “happy,” I have no experience with not being “happy” about my name. Whatever your name is, you have to wear it, not I. I can think of advantages on either side, to changing it or not, so I now have no opinion of one choice v. the other and whichever way you go, I can find words to support it.

Alan

 

[aspirant]

It is not at all sinful to have such a name and neither is it necessary to change it, especially since it has such a significance in your family. However, if you personally do not like it then of course you can always change it.

Agreed.

Please don’t change your name. Be proud of it! Own it! Be that first St. Whoever!

In this line of thought:

Many early saints have pagan names. I mean really pagan names. The names of pagan gods. There are, for example, several saints named Dionysius, Hermes, and Apollo. Names don’t really get more pagan than that. And they’re saints’ names. Yours can be a saint’s name too.