Although the phrase has fallen out of favor for obvious reasons, what are its origins? What does having a first name have to do with Christianity?
A possible source is the practice which prevailed for many many years to give children names which were identical to,or derivative of,saints names-----or at least biblical names
In the era of my baptism[1920]there were very few children given names like rock,brandy , rip or kelly
We all responded to “hey You” ------but that was a different matter.
Good old reliable Webster’s says that Christian name is thusly called because it’s the name given at a christening, AKA baptism.
Is it only Catholics that take on a Confirmation name? And yes, I know that it’s not a requirement for catholics, only a tradition.
Does it really matter if other religions let you take a Confirmation name? After all, we Catholics have certified ourselves as being the only religion that is right. 
Seriously, I don’t think the other Christian religions have a similar Confirmation service, which I went through and I am still not quite sure what I experienced, although I did get to pick another name.
Thank goodness Jewish names didn’t become known as “circumcision names.” ;j
(For those who don’t get it: In Jewish tradition, baby boys are named at the circumcision.)
Zev Steinhardt
I think that “Christian name” is British English and “First name” is American English.
your christian name doesn’t always have to be your first name. my brother and i both have our middle names as our christian names (michelle elizabeth and robert christopher.) you do have to have at least one saint’s name to be baptized in the catholic church.
>> you do have to have at least one saint’s name to be baptized in the catholic church
Well, this seems so obvious I tend to doubt it. Could you provide some support for this assertion? I have a feeling it is probably tradition and not canon law.
Question: Do all Africans and Asians who are baptised catholic have names of christian saints? While I don’t know the answer I have the feeling they don’t.
the only “proof” i have is that when my mother attempted to have my brother (then robert carr dykstra) baptized, the priest refused and insisted that he needed a saint’s name. so she added “christopher” to his name. every catholic i know has a saint’s name.
Isn’t it simply what heathen converts went by after they’d been ‘saved’? In China, therefore, if you’d been call Wong Chan before the missionary drug-runners arrived, then they would call you, say, Christopher Chan after you had been saved (and were addicted). I think this stems from the fact that the missionaries, the spreaders of wisdom and the bringers of civilistation, couldn’t be bothered to learn how to pronounce local names.
Well, the priest is just the bureaucrat of the RCC so he may be right or he may be wrong. I have no idea but the more I think about it the more stupid it sounds (like anything else Catholic doen’t sound stupid). I mean, if you have to be baptised to go to heaven and they will not baptise you unless you take a saint’s name, it pretty much means you are condemned to burn in hell if you insist you want to be called Rudyard. Seems like one of the three stupidest things I have ever heard but hey, they just said they are the only true religion.
My other question is, if everybody has to take the name of a saint that has been canonized, what did they do in the beginning before there were any saints? Was there like a run in period when you could take any name?
Also, I seem to remember the RCC decreed a few years back that a number of saints were probably myths and had never existed and took them off the role. What happens to people who had these names? Will they burn in hell for not having the right names?
The whole thing sounds so utterly stupid to me that if I ever thought of becoming a Catholic… oh, wait a minute… I am a catholic because I was baptised and I hear you cannot just write a letter of resignation.
Maybe I am lucky enough that my name is not on the approved list and my baptism will be invalid and annulled like if it were a Kennedy’s marriage. Oh my, what a conundrum!
you say your brother’s name was Robert but he had to change it to Christopher? What’s wrong with St. Robert? Has he been deposed? What about all the other Roberts? Will they have to be called Christopher from now on?
secondly, i’ve never heard of any st. robert. he’s not in any of my saint’s books. tell me more.
oh, and do pepper it with more of your sarcastic and rude shots at the catholic faith. i don’t care if you are catholic that doesn’t mean you have to be so crabby.
i was merely adding what my priest, and my mother’s priest, and every other priest i’ve asked about it has said.
Cessandra, I really do not want to offend you or anyone else. It is all meant in clean fun so please do not take offense. (I know not everybody shares my sense of humor).
You never heard of St Robert? my oh my! And who would Robert Kennedy and all other Bobbys we know be named after? I am quite sure there are more than one Saints of that name. A quick Net search turned out Saint Robert Bellarmine who apparently rose through the ranks of the Catholic Church in the 16th century because he was nephew of the pope or something. You know what politics is like. He was later cannonized and aparently is working miracles even today.
Anyway, in all seriousness now, if the RCC requires people to take a name of a previous saint to be baptized, I find that really stupid and I cannot see the logic. I tend to think it is probably tradition and not canon law.
How many saints are we up to now, a thousand? More?
And, sailor, I reckon that post could well get you excommunicated. Pester the proper authorities, I would. You know, send the Pope abusive mail - stuff like that. That should see you safely cut off from the flock.
What really worries me, although I’m not Catholic and would rather suffer indescribable torture than become one (that’s just my opinion, so no offense should be taken), is what happens if there is only one true faith, and it’s not Catholicism. What happens then on Judgement day? The image of all those smug Catholic types being told to mosey on down to the fires of hell makes me shudder. Imagine their disgust. I’d be pissed if I’d lived my life in sure knowledge of rapture, only to be told it was a lie. And, in that case, doesn’t telling everyone else that they’re going to hell seem a little like burning your bridges? Won’t foster a very forgiving attitude, come Armageddon, now will it? In fact, it’s not a very forgiving attitude itself. I thought God was all about forgiveness in this day and age.
Anyway, I’m sure you’ve had enough of my ranting. Feel free to insult me at will, but I have to say I feel better having got that out of my system.
Cheers.So, were Christian (Catholic) babies all restricted to a few names at first until more people became saints? Were they all named Peter, Paul, and Mary? :D:D
On rereading Cessandra’s post I am now somewhat confused about what she says Christopher is his middle name. I do not understand that. It seems the requirement was that his old middle name was not on the approved list? Why couldn’t he just stick with Robert?
Of all the reasons for not being allowed into heaven this one has to be one of the silliest. Can you imagine Saint Peter with a list of approved names? “Oh, you say your name is Matt, Sorry!, not on the list!”
Are alternative spellings admissible? How about translations? If the saint was Roberto, is Robert still OK? how about Peter for Pietro? How far can you go? Maybe you can talk your way in if you convince him Matt really means David. How about Yue Han for John? Will they take your word for your name or will you have to present some form of positive ID?
As mentioned in another thread, in some Catholic countries naming boys “Jesus” is quite common. I wonder if this is a plus or a minus.
I never realised theology was so deep.
sailor, you either have an incredibly nuanced sense of humor, or you are really crabby today.
As for the Catholic “requirement” that you have a saint’s name when you are baptized, it is quite obviously tradition and not canon law. That it isn’t canon law is shown by AWB’s comment that every Catholic would have to be named Peter, Paul, or Mary. (Though, of course, when I was growing up Catholic, it seemed like all of my classmates did have those names. :D)
However, traditions have their own power. As an example, canon law doesn’t require catholics to wear there “Sunday best” to church, but you’re gonna piss the priest off if you don’t. Cessandra’s parish priest was ill-informed (particularly not knowing that Robert is a saint’s name :rolleyes: ), but that’s not a condition exclusive to catholic clergy. If Cessandra’s mom had raised a big enough stink, or gone over the priest’s head, she could have gotten the original name she chose, but either she (i) relied on the priest’s authority incorrectly (as well all do with various authority figures), or (ii) valued good relations with the priest over the original name.
Sua
FWIW, I was baptized as Christine Lynne - neither of which is strictly a saint’s name. There is a St. Christina, but sailor, I agree - how much variation would be allowed?
And, if I were still Catholic (shudder) and baptizing my daughter under a “heathen” name, only to be fed this line by the priest, I’d love to see his face when I said, “OK, how about Kunegunda, then?”