Name change on conversion to catholicism?

[shinytoy]

bro’s

when i converted i was the only catholic in my family ( i was 18) and my mom said that she wouldnt attend my confirmation if i took a saints name, as venerating the saints was invoking the dead.

so i didnt have one, though i narrowed it down to St Maria Goretti (purity) and St Juan Diego (Guadalupe). will it make any difference that i dont have a confirmation name? i feel sad now

my normal name is islamic because most of my relatives are islams or ‘non practicing christians’.
can i change my middle name to a catholic one? i dont want to change my first or last name cos i converted about 7 years ago and it wuold mess up my qualifications, career docuemtns, etc. can i change it to ANY catholic name which sounds ok, bearing in mind my first and last names will still be islamic? or does it need to be my confirmation saint.

has anyone else changed their name on converions?

 

[losh14]

Hi shinytoy,

I’m sad to hear your mother wasn’t supportive but I’m pleased that you have remained ardent in your faith.

I think that legal name changes (even for a middle name) are dependent only upon local municipal laws, ie the County Records. If you don’t currently have a middle name, I don’t think you even need to document since there would be nothing tied to your middle name. It would later show up wherever you use it, so if you keep your middle name out of legal documents (ie credit applications, job applications, insurance and other records) then this will be as simple as stating it and it’s done.

 

[Barbkw]

Confirmation names are a type of sacramental. You’re not required to make a legal name change.

Often times, people entering religious orders change their first names. (Althou, I don’t know if they also go on to legally change it also.)

 

[LemonAndLime]

Confirmation names are a type of sacramental. You’re not required to make a legal name change.

Often times, people entering religious orders change their first names. (Althou, I don’t know if they also go on to legally change it also.)

They don’t often change their legal name. A patient of mine once was a nun who wanted us nurses to refer to her by her religious name, not her legal name (even though all of her documents were in her legal name which she hadn’t used herself since she was 18).

What do you mean by a type of sacramental?

I am considering St Faustina as my patron Saint and Faustina as my confirmation name (I really like it even if I forget about the Saint, it’s unusual and my given name is already unusual and a foreign one even though I’m white British).

 

[shinytoy]

Confirmation names are a type of sacramental. You’re not required to make a legal name change.

Often times, people entering religious orders change their first names. (Althou, I don’t know if they also go on to legally change it also.)

so have i missed out since i didnt get to have one? nobody will pray for me

also, is it dishonerable if i change my name to a random saint with a cool name eg Xavier or Solange rather than the saints i most admire wth boring names?

 

[crystal_waters]

Confirmation names are a type of sacramental. You’re not required to make a legal name change.

Often times, people entering religious orders change their first names. (Althou, I don’t know if they also go on to legally change it also.)

i agree, you can choose any name you want for your confirmation name but you dont have to put it on any legal documents or change your i.d,

 

[Barbkw]

so have i missed out since i didnt get to have one? nobody will pray for me

also, is it dishonerable if i change my name to a random saint with a cool name eg Xavier or Solange rather than the saints i most admire wth boring names?

Choose a saint whom you feel is a role model to you. Perhaps someone who faced similiar life or personal situations or problems.

As your life changes, you’ll add other patron saints who have shared that need and have gained virtue from it.

 

[Barbkw]

What do you mean by a type of sacramental?

Saints aren’t classified as sacramentals - but they aid us by being examples of holiness.

 

[shinytoy]

Choose a saint whom you feel is a role model to you. Perhaps someone who faced similiar life or personal situations or problems.

As your life changes, you’ll add other patron saints who have shared that need and have gained virtue from it.

no, i wont be adding to it, i only will be changing my name the once. did you even readmy post that you quoted?

 

[Barbkw]

no, i wont be adding to it, i only will be changing my name the once. did you even readmy post that you quoted?

So, you’ve decided to legally change your middle name to a Christian saint’s name, preferably one that is “cool”?

 

[LemonAndLime]

Saints aren’t classified as sacramentals - but they aid us by being examples of holiness.

No, I’m asking about a confirmation name, not a Saint. What do you mean by confirmation names being a sacramental?

 

[Barbkw]

No, I’m asking about a confirmation name, not a Saint. What do you mean by confirmation names being a sacramental?

Oh right, I didn’t catch that. I was referring to the saints and their particular virtue.

In a way thou, saints themselves are reusing the names of other saints. The name then of itself is rather sacramental.

Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu (Mother Teresa) used the name Teresa from Saint Thérèse (Teresa) of Lisieux.

 

[shinytoy]

So, you’ve decided to legally change your middle name to a Christian saint’s name, preferably one that is “cool”?

well, yeah.

because im gonna keep my first and last name due to all my documents and qualifications in that name. but I mean all saints have white names, so most names are gonna sound stupid.

dont you think the name Ruqaya Al-Fulan Singh would sound pretty stupid if i changed my middle name to ‘Cecilia’ (my fave saints are St Margaret, St Paul, St Catherine and St Juan Diego and i also really like our Lady of Guadalupe)

Ruqaya Catherine Singh

seems stupid. and dont say ‘ooh if you believe you should be proud to change your name to your fave saint.’ because im guessing all of you have white people names and none of you have been in this position. you have to admit it sounds dumb. so if i want a cath name it will need to be a cool one.

 

[puzzleannie]

bro’s

when i converted i was the only catholic in my family ( i was 18) and my mom said that she wouldnt attend my confirmation if i took a saints name, as venerating the saints was invoking the dead.

so i didnt have one, though i narrowed it down to St Maria Goretti (purity) and St Juan Diego (Guadalupe). will it make any difference that i dont have a confirmation name? i feel sad now

my normal name is islamic because most of my relatives are islams or ‘non practicing christians’.
can i change my middle name to a catholic one? i dont want to change my first or last name cos i converted about 7 years ago and it wuold mess up my qualifications, career docuemtns, etc. can i change it to ANY catholic name which sounds ok, bearing in mind my first and last names will still be islamic? or does it need to be my confirmation saint.

has anyone else changed their name on converions?

the convert is not required to take a new name unless the given name is flagrantly anti-Catholic (we had one child named for a greek god and the priest insisted he take a saints name). You will have to find out the civil law procedure for a name change where you reside, but that does not change your baptismal name by itself… YOu can however take the new civil birth certificate with the new name to your baptismal parish, they will note it in the record, and issue a baptismal certificate in the new name.

When a confirmation candidate adopts the name of a saint as a patron that does not change his name on the baptismal record, or in the civil law jurisdiction, it is entered only the in the confirmation record, no where else.

 

[shinytoy]

the convert is not required to take a new name unless the given name is flagrantly anti-Catholic (we had one child named for a greek god and the priest insisted he take a saints name). You will have to find out the civil law procedure for a name change where you reside, but that does not change your baptismal name by itself… YOu can however take the new civil birth certificate with the new name to your baptismal parish, they will note it in the record, and issue a baptismal certificate in the new name.

When a confirmation candidate adopts the name of a saint as a patron that does not change his name on the baptismal record, or in the civil law jurisdiction, it is entered only the in the confirmation record, no where else.

no no no!!

i know the laws relating to the name change but i was wondering if anyone else who had a non catholic name previously changed their actual name when they converted.

 

[losh14]

dont you think the name Ruqaya Al-Fulan Singh would sound pretty stupid if i changed my middle name to ‘Cecilia’ (my fave saints are St Margaret, St Paul, St Catherine and St Juan Diego and i also really like our Lady of Guadalupe)

Ruqaya Catherine Singh

seems stupid. and dont say ‘ooh if you believe you should be proud to change your name to your fave saint.’

If you want to change your name you should choose what you like. Solange Catherine Singh has a nice ring, at least to my ears.

because im guessing all of you have white people names and none of you have been in this position. you have to admit it sounds dumb. so if i want a cath name it will need to be a cool one.

For a second I read “dumb white people names”. That’s not necessary - I knew a white guy named Celestine Ascension Gardner, the sons of New Agers. He hated it, changed it to Robert Bruce Gardner once he moved out. Yeah, he was a fan of Braveheart.

 

[AngelGabriel3]

Choose a saint whom you feel is a role model to you. Perhaps someone who faced similiar life or personal situations or problems.

Hi Barbkw and shiny toy,

I have done this.

Also, I assume from what I was able to find out that it is okay to use the conversion name of a Saint - who is not necessarily `Catholic, though this would be preferable, because it is important that the Saint - as you have said Barb’ - is a saint whom you feel is a role-model, whom you maybe feel the greatest affinity with, as I did some research which indicated that this is okay?? having personally assumed it probably wouldn’t be and that the saint would need to be Catholic.

Does anybody know if this is correct for sure? The church I attended didn’t really answer this properly and I am trying to find out for someone converting.

 

[x1980x]

It’s interesting…

Looking through the scriptures, we see that one of the early followers of Jesus was named Apollos, which is a name devoted to the pagan god Apollo. Did he change it? I don’t see any indication that he did.

Certainly, name changes are present in scripture and some of the followers of God did change them, but I don’t see it as a universal event or anything that one is ‘required’ to do in order to follow God.

 

[testamentum]

bro’s

when i converted i was the only catholic in my family ( i was 18) and my mom said that she wouldnt attend my confirmation if i took a saints name, as venerating the saints was invoking the dead.

so i didnt have one, though i narrowed it down to St Maria Goretti (purity) and St Juan Diego (Guadalupe). will it make any difference that i dont have a confirmation name? i feel sad now

my normal name is islamic because most of my relatives are islams or ‘non practicing christians’.
can i change my middle name to a catholic one? i dont want to change my first or last name cos i converted about 7 years ago and it wuold mess up my qualifications, career docuemtns, etc. can i change it to ANY catholic name which sounds ok, bearing in mind my first and last names will still be islamic? or does it need to be my confirmation saint.

has anyone else changed their name on converions?

I just wanted to say how much I admire your courage and commitment,you are a very special person and I mean this most sincerely.

 

[DrPiano]

Shinytoy,

My husband legally changed his name because he felt like it - and had been going by a name different than his legal name for some time (5 years at least by the time the name was legally changed). This happened to be after our conversion and Confirmation, so he included his patron saint’s name as one of his new middle names.

I have not changed my legal name and will not change my legal name. I happen to have “Christian names” (but so did he) although since they’re in other languages its not easily discernible in English. I did choose a patron saint and I ask for her intercession. But I have no intention of ever changing my name to include it (and I usually reject any attempt by my husband to insert her name into mine) even though I admire her greatly. She is a wonderful role model and I’m glad I’ve chosen her to be my saint.

so have i missed out since i didnt get to have one? nobody will pray for me

You can ask anyone to pray for you. Even if you don’t have a Confirmation Saint, if you ask they will pray I frequently ask for the intercession of many Saints, not just the one I chose to be my special patron. It depends on what I’m asking about. So yes, people will pray for you Don’t worry about that. You can even develop a particular devotion to a specific saint (which is, as I understand it, all having a “Confirmation Saint” means). You can develop a particular devotion to a couple of saints if you like.

also, is it dishonerable if i change my name to a random saint with a cool name eg Xavier or Solange rather than the saints i most admire wth boring names?

I think if you are going to change your name to reflect having a “Patron Saint”, which is how I understood your original post, I think it would be better to choose to adopt the name of the saint for which you feel a particular devotion rather than a name that sounds cool. Names aren’t for sounding cool - names are for meaning something. But then again, I’m not an advocate for changing names either…