Saint's name at baptism?

[HeDa]

You forgot about all the OT names as those are to be included.

 

[Joe_5859]

Craziest I’ve seen is Kate spelled as KVIII.

Oh my! My mom used to work as a library clerk and her one regret from those years is not keeping a journal of all the unique names she came across.

I’ll never forget the one with the child whose name was pronounced MISS-tuh-kay. It was spelled M-i-s-t-a-k-e. Not that they wanted to give the kid a complex or anything…

 

[HomeschoolDad]

Why would the royal family use a saint name anyway? That is silly.

For the same reasons that anyone else would, if they were concerned with giving a name that is rooted in Christian tradition.

It has been for centuries the norm, for Christians, to give a name that is either a saint’s name, a name from the Old Testament, or a name that reflects a Christian virtue (Faith, Prudence, etc.) or feast day (Concepcion, Assunta, etc.). One of the old Catholic dictionaries (I think it was Attwater’s) cited a Hispanic child who was named Circumcision

 

[HomeschoolDad]

And since she is proud of her African american heritage she would more likely pick an ethnic name before a saint name of a religion she is forbidden to be.

I wasn’t even going to go there. It can be said, though, that some typically African-American names can also be saints’ names — Katrina, Latisha (from the Latin Laetitia), Darius, and so on.

 

[Hoosier-Daddy]

You know. Saints have to come from somewhere. There was a first person to have the name of a saint. All my kids were named after saints but I dont hold others to that. There was no saint longinus until there was…

I’m more inclined to criticize the royal name of archie because now, in like 50 years there will be a grown man with the name of archie. A name that I would automatically judge but not for not being a saints name. I would refuse to call a grown man archie…

 

[TheLittleLady]

Because a name is important.

 

[HomeschoolDad]

I’m more inclined to criticize the royal name of archie because now, in like 50 years there will be a grown man with the name of archie. A name that I would automatically judge but not for not being a saints name. I would refuse to call a grown man archie

FWIW, Archie is also a surname. Seriously.

 

[Hoosier-Daddy]

Kanye, who has about as much of a shot of the throne as archie named his kid saint. So there you go, that ought to make you happy. Oh and north. … saint west and north west …
Obviously they should have named archie Jon, Tyrion, or Jamie or ned.

 

[StillWandering]

I like the idea of naming kids after saints and obviously offering them a good example to follow by doing so. That being said, I do think you have to be flexible with it and I think in the past priests could be too strict with it.

For example, as an Irish family, we have Gaelic names. My aunt was born and my grandmother brought her to Church to be baptised the next day. She wanted the name Medb Áine. Now, Medb is a common Irish name and references a pre Christian queen of Connacht but was a family name for my grandmother’s family. Áine is the Gaelic form of Anne, a good Catholic name for Saint Anne and fulfilling my grandmother’s Marian theme (all her daughters have Marian names- Bearnáirdín, Máire, Máel Mhuire). The priest knew my grandmother was a good Catholic, she even organised the Sacred Heart sodality in my parish. Yet, when she presented Medb Áine for Baptism, the Priest told her very forcefully at the door that “I’m not baptising a child with a Pagan name. Change it or no Baptism.”

In the end, she let the priest baptise her Róise Áine (Rose Anne) but I think it was a bit extreme. I’ve heard many stories like that here and the way I see it is: if the child is being born in a good Catholic house, the name isn’t overtly Anti Christian, that the name isn’t ridiculous and that it has a Christian element or middle name, then go for it. That’s certainly the way I’ll do it if I ever have kids.

 

[HomeschoolDad]

if the child is being born in a good Catholic house, the name isn’t overtly Anti Christian, that the name isn’t ridiculous and that it has a Christian element or middle name, then go for it.

I have no problem with an ethnic, family or “nature” name, as long as it is paired with a Christian name. For that matter, I have no “problem” with giving a non-saint name at all, it just seems to me that Christians kind of squander, for lack of a better word, the opportunity, in naming their children, to seek the patronage of a saint and to give testimony of Christian saints and virtues. That’s all.

One other interesting naming convention exists in parts of the Southern United States. It has been a tradition to name the oldest son “[paternal grandmother’s maiden name] + [maternal grandmother’s maiden name] + [last name]”. Kind of like a walking genealogy. Using that naming convention, my given name would have been “Higgins Rice”. Hmm… “Hig”? Maybe “Gig”? Not bad. Has a nice ring to it.

My son, though, that’s another story. His name would have been “Kitchen Janusz”. That doesn’t work at all.

I’d sooner name him Archie Harrison

 

[StillWandering]

One other interesting naming convention exists in parts of the Southern United States. It has been a tradition to name the oldest son “[paternal grandmother’s maiden name] + [maternal grandmother’s maiden name] + [last name]”.

Oh no, that really wouldn’t work for me. I’d be Nic Fhionnale - Ní Sluaghaigh. Nope.

 

[HomeschoolDad]

Oh no, that really wouldn’t work for me. I’d be Nic Fhionnale - Ní Sluaghaigh. Nope.

I’m not even going to hazard a guess as to how that’s pronounced. Some Irish names totally elude me. Until I looked it up, I would have had no earthly idea that the name “Niamh” is pronounced “neev”.

Polish names are bad enough (and I can say that as my son is of Polish heritage, through his mother).

 

[StillWandering]

Nick Unalalya Knee Slooa’ay

 

[JanetF]

This Ole Miss parent sees what you did there! Archie Manning!!!

 

[TheLittleLady]

One’s given name, first name, is also commonly know as your “Christian Name”.

 

[JanetF]

I’m unaware of a St for my daughter’s first name, but it is a modern derivation of Ischa which is one of either Abraham’s or Isaac’s wives, so at least it’s Biblical :shrugging. I did pick Ann for middle name

 

[BartholomewB]

One of the old Catholic dictionaries (I think it was Attwater’s) cited a Hispanic child who was named Circumcision

Yes, it is Attwater’s, I just checked. “A Paraguayan youth,” he says. Poor guy.

 

[JanetF]

And if you stretch it, “Harrison” could be considered a form of Henry, i.e., “Harry’s son”. So no problem there either.

Except he’s named after someone on Diana’s side of the family, so…it gets a pass IMHO for that reason. Now that I see why they chose that name, I think it’s great!

 

[HopkinsReb]

This Ole Miss parent sees what you did there! Archie Manning!!!

Funny Archie story:
While my dad was sick, he and my mom were walking around the Grove one day and ran into Archie and Olivia. In a surprising move, they asked Archie to take their picture. Not to take a picture with them. To take their picture.

They figured he got asked to take pictures with people all the time and wanted to throw him a curveball.

 

[HomeschoolDad]

One of the old Catholic dictionaries (I think it was Attwater’s) cited a Hispanic child who was named Circumcision

Thanks for helping me out. My copy of Attwater’s is packed away, with scores of other books, in a far nether corner of my storage closet, behind loads of other stuff. Things like that happen when you have kids, and have to make room for all of their kiddy accoutrements — Legos, Skylanders figurines, Nerf guns, and so forth. Our house isn’t big enough to turn around in as it is.