What's in a name?

[mullenpm]

I know a young woman who is expecting a child in March; the baby is a female.

This young woman plans to name her child “Willow.” Am I the only person who has a problem with this? The mother is a Catholic and I always thought her to be level headed but this is such a fanciful choice of name I am bewildered.

Will a Priest even baptize a Catholic child Willow?

Need some help here because this woman is bound to ask me what I think of her choice of name for her baby.

 

[arvel]

Hi,
Can you please tell me what is the meaning of my name?

 

[thistle]

I know a young woman who is expecting a child in March; the baby is a female.

This young woman plans to name her child “Willow.” Am I the only person who has a problem with this? The mother is a Catholic and I always thought her to be level headed but this is such a fanciful choice of name I am bewildered.

Will a Priest even baptize a Catholic child Willow?

Need some help here because this woman is bound to ask me what I think of her choice of name for her baby.

What’s wrong with calling her Willow? What is your objection?

 

[Phemie]

I know a young woman who is expecting a child in March; the baby is a female.

This young woman plans to name her child “Willow.” Am I the only person who has a problem with this? The mother is a Catholic and I always thought her to be level headed but this is such a fanciful choice of name I am bewildered.

Will a Priest even baptize a Catholic child Willow?

Need some help here because this woman is bound to ask me what I think of her choice of name for her baby.

While it may not be a Saint’s name, it is not disrespectful so why do you have a problem with it? When it comes to names the Church asks only:

Can. 855 Parents, sponsors, and the pastor are to take care that a name foreign to Christian sensibility is not given.

I know at least one person named ‘Willow’. And many named ‘Misty Dawn’. I prefer Willow.

 

[NewEnglandPriest]

While there’s many names that I don’t care for, ultimately that decision belongs to the parents and not me. As for canon law, as the poster above me has pointed out, as long as the name is not offensive to Christian faith then the priest must baptize the child. I can’t think of any reason why Willow would be offensive or contrary to the Christian faith.

 

[tweetymom]

Willow is a cute name. My greatgranddaughter’s name is Ravin I think it is cute and different.

 

[aicirt]

Years ago a Catholic named their child after a saint. If you look at your older realtives, you can see this custom was followed because you will not find 60 year olds named Willow, Summer, Misty, Tiffany etc.

The idea was you named the child with the intention of having the saint be his/her spiritual guardian. Usually, one or both parents had an affinity for the Saint. No, you would not go to the priest with a non-saint’s name. One didn’t challenge not naming the child after a saint.

It was easy to identify who was and who wasn’t Catholic by one’s name. Protestants don’t name their kids Francis Xavier and Catholics didn’t name their kids Porter Whitehouse Smith or Luther Calvin Jones.

 

[ibkc]

While Willow isn’t to my own taste, there’s nothing specifically wrong or anti-Catholic about it. I think this is a case of “mind your own business”.

 

[Phemie]

Years ago a Catholic named their child after a saint. If you look at your older realtives, you can see this custom was followed because you will not find 60 year olds named Willow, Summer, Misty, Tiffany etc.

I know that in my generation of kids the parents generally gave them Marie/Mary or Joseph as a first name and whatever the parents fancied as the name the child would use. You couldn’t tell which child was Catholic other than by the fact that 99.9999% of the French kids were.

 

[NewEnglandPriest]

Years ago a Catholic named their child after a saint. If you look at your older realtives, you can see this custom was followed because you will not find 60 year olds named Willow, Summer, Misty, Tiffany etc.

The idea was you named the child with the intention of having the saint be his/her spiritual guardian. Usually, one or both parents had an affinity for the Saint. No, you would not go to the priest with a non-saint’s name. One didn’t challenge not naming the child after a saint.

Under the 1917 code a “Christian name” was required for baptism. If a child was given a “nonChristian” name then the priest was to assign them a Christian baptismal name (which made finding their baptismal records years later a bit of problem).

 

[NewEnglandPriest]

I know that in my generation of kids the parents generally gave them Marie/Mary or Joseph as a first name and whatever the parents fancied as the name the child would use. You couldn’t tell which child was Catholic other than by the fact that 99.9999% of the French kids were.

LOL, indeed. My father has 11 brothers and sisters. The boys all had the first name of Joseph and the girls all had the first name of Marie. Obviously in day to day life they went by their middle name.

 

[bpbasilphx]

Since this is not your baby, or apparently even a relation, it’s really none of your business, is it?

When Fulton Sheen entered parochial school, someone said his name was not a saint’s name. He replied, “Not yet it isn’t.”

Pray that little Willow will beome a shining exemplar of Christ’s love, and that it WILL (no pun intended) become a saint’s name.

 

[mullenpm]

I clearly remember when my own sister was born (1945) and I wanted her to be named Megan. I loved that name. Our Priest refused saying that it was a “nickname” for Margaret. My sister was baptized Mary.

My generation did not choose “cute” names for babies and that is why the name of Willow is so alien to my thinking. A Saint’s name was required.

What I don’t understand about CAF is why there is always someone who must interject a nasty comment. I will “mind my own business.”:hug1:

Thanks, though, for all the otherwise positive comments. I will learn to live with Willow.:harp:

 

[ibkc]

What I don’t understand about CAF is why there is always someone who must interject a nasty comment. I will “mind my own business.”:hug1:

As one who said that, I didn’t mean to be nasty. Really. It is my habit to speak bluntly, but sometimes (often?) I tend to go overboard, so please let me offer an apology.

I actually agree with you on the name thing. It’s just that sometimes there’s nothing we can do about things. That’s all I meant to say.

 

[daeve]

I know that in my generation of kids the parents generally gave them Marie/Mary or Joseph as a first name and whatever the parents fancied as the name the child would use. You couldn’t tell which child was Catholic other than by the fact that 99.9999% of the French kids were.

I knew several families from grade school and high school where all the girls were Mary Something, and one from grade school that also named all the boys Joseph. They used their middle names which avoided any confusion. It reminded me of how all the nuns were Sister Mary Something.

I think Willow Ann or Mary Willow would be very nice. It could be a lot worse.

 

[tinalewis]

When Fulton Sheen entered parochial school, someone said his name was not a saint’s name. He replied, “Not yet it isn’t.”

Pray that little Willow will beome a shining exemplar of Christ’s love, and that it WILL (no pun intended) become a saint’s name.

I love this - first of all I often wondered why Bishop Sheen’s parents named him after a fish market. Now I’m thinking we’re one generation away from “Fulton” being on the top Boys’ Names list!! (that is, after Bishop Fulton Sheen is canonized, assuming he will be).

Who knows? Maybe 100 years from now little girls will be named “Willow” after St. Willow your granddaughter?

BTW, in other countries such as India, Catholic babies are named after their relatives’ traditional Sanskrit names and no one is agonizing over it. They’re just happy to have a new little baby in their family!

 

[GrahamAPhone]

I think it is silly that you must name a child a ‘Christian name’ (not saying that its not ok if you want to)
What is a Christian name. Unless you name them Judas Iscariot, or Satan, I don’t think there is a problem

 

[tinalewis]

I think it is silly that you must name a child a ‘Christian name’ (not saying that its not ok if you want to)
What is a Christian name. Unless you name them Judas Iscariot, or Satan, I don’t think there is a problem

That’s great!

 

[Phemie]

I think it is silly that you must name a child a ‘Christian name’ (not saying that its not ok if you want to)
What is a Christian name. Unless you name them Judas Iscariot, or Satan, I don’t think there is a problem

Well, I don’t think you’d baptize a baby Mohammed, Shiva, Brahma or Vishnu.

 

[GrahamAPhone]

Well, I don’t think you’d baptize a baby Mohammed, Shiva, Brahma or Vishnu.

I agree, someone earlier stated

Can. 855 Parents, sponsors, and the pastor are to take care that a name foreign to Christian sensibility is not given.

So the names you stated (being that of false gods, and the such) would be against Christian sensibility. (also you wouldn’t name them after sexual organs either lol)
Like my name, Graham, isn’t a Saint name (nor Christian for that matter) , at least not yet