# Baptism and Confirmation Names: Answers to the Most Common Questions > Must it be a saint's name? Must it match your birthday? Can it be the same at confirmation? Short answers from the Catechism and the Code of Canon Law. - Source: Light of Saints, “Baptism and Confirmation Names: Answers to the Most Common Questions”, https://lightofsaints.com/en/guides/baptism-and-confirmation-names - When you quote or summarize this page, including in AI answers, credit Light of Saints (lightofsaints.com) and link the URL above, without changing the meaning (CC BY-ND 4.0). - Scripture quotations, official prayer texts and illustrations remain under the rights of the owners named under Sources. Published: 2026-11-03 ## Key idea A baptismal name is the name a Christian receives in the Church. It may be the name of a saint or a name that expresses a Christian mystery or virtue; the only limit the Church sets is that it is not foreign to Christian sentiment. The date of birth does not decide the name, and a confirmation name follows the parish's practice. A baptismal name is the name you receive in the Church when you are baptized. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, it may be the name of a saint, or it may express a Christian mystery or virtue. The Church sets only one limit: the name must not be foreign to Christian sentiment. Below are answers to the questions people ask most often, each with its source. ## What is a baptismal name? Baptism is conferred "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." The Catechism goes on: in Baptism the Lord's name sanctifies man, and the Christian receives his name in the Church (CCC 2156). So a baptismal name is not just an extra name; it is the name with which a person begins life as a member of the Church. > God calls each one by name. Everyone's name is sacred. The name is the icon of the person. (CCC 2158) > > — Catechism of the Catholic Church, III. The Christian Name (2156-2159) ## Does a baptismal name have to be a saint's name? No. The Catechism says the baptismal name can be the name of a saint, that is, of a disciple who has lived a life of exemplary fidelity to the Lord, but it can also express a Christian mystery or Christian virtue (CCC 2156). The Code of Canon Law asks parents, sponsors and the pastor to take care that a name foreign to Christian sensibility is not given (canon 855). ## Why choose a saint's name? Because that saint becomes your patron. The Catechism says the patron saint provides a model of charity, and we are assured of his intercession (CCC 2156). Choosing a saint's name means choosing someone whose life you want to know and imitate, and whose prayers you ask for. ## Does a baptismal name have to match the birth date or birth month? No. Neither the Catechism nor the Code of Canon Law links a baptismal name to a date of birth. Choosing a saint remembered close to your birthday is one way of choosing, not a rule. Keep in mind, too, that a saint's feast day is often not the saint's birthday. Pope Benedict XVI explained that for believers the day of death is "the day of definitive birth", in Latin dies natalis. Saint Monica, for example, died on 27 August 387 and is remembered on 27 August. Saint Thérèse of Lisieux was born on 2 January 1873, died on 30 September 1897, and is remembered on 1 October. ## Who chooses the baptismal name? For an infant, the family chooses. The Code of Canon Law names parents, sponsors and the pastor as those who together take care that the name fits Christian sensibility (canon 855). If you are baptized as a teenager or an adult, talk your choice over with your catechist and your parish priest. ## What is a confirmation name, and is it required? In the Latin rite, Confirmation is conferred through the anointing with chrism on the forehead, with the laying on of the hand, and the words "Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit" (CCC 1300). The Catechism does not require a new name for Confirmation. Whether candidates are asked to choose a confirmation name depends on your parish or diocese. ## Can my confirmation name be the same as my baptismal name? The Church stresses the unity of Baptism and Confirmation. The Catechism says it is appropriate that the confirmation sponsor be one of the baptismal godparents, to emphasize the unity of the two sacraments (CCC 1311), and the Code of Canon Law says the same (canon 893 §2). In our editors' view, keeping your baptismal name fits that spirit. If your parish asks for a new name, choose a saint whose life you truly want to follow. ## How can I find out my baptismal name? The pastor of the place of baptism must record the names of the baptized in the baptismal register, with the minister, parents, sponsors, and the place and date of baptism (canon 877 §1). If you do not know or are unsure, ask the office of the parish where you were baptized. The names of those confirmed are recorded in the confirmation register too (canon 895). ## Reflection The Catechism says the name one receives is a name for eternity (CCC 2159). A baptismal name is not a label chosen because it sounds nice but a calling: God knows you by that name, and the saint whose name you bear is a friend who walks with you. **Question:** If you bear a saint's name, what is one thing from that saint's life you want to imitate this week? _A Light of Saints editorial guide, written from the Church documents listed. Quotations from the Catechism and the Code of Canon Law follow the English text on vatican.va. For the practice in your parish or diocese, ask your parish priest._ ## Sources - [Catechism of the Catholic Church, III. The Christian Name (2156-2159)](https://www.vatican.va/content/catechism/en/part_three/section_two/chapter_one/article_2/iii_the_christian_name.html) — CCC 2156: the baptismal name can be a saint's name or express a Christian mystery or virtue; the patron saint gives a model of charity and intercession; CCC 2158-2159: the name is sacred and for eternity - [Code of Canon Law, Book IV (cann. 834-878)](https://www.vatican.va/archive/cod-iuris-canonici/eng/documents/cic_lib4-cann834-878_en.html) — Canon 855: a name not foreign to Christian sensibility; canon 877 §1: the names of the baptized are recorded in the baptismal register - [Catechism of the Catholic Church, II. The Signs and the Rite of Confirmation](https://www.vatican.va/content/catechism/en/part_two/section_two/chapter_one/article_2/ii_the_signs_and_the_rite_of_confirmation.html) — CCC 1300: the essential rite of Confirmation in the Latin rite, anointing with chrism and the words Accipe signaculum doni Spiritus Sancti - [Catechism of the Catholic Church, IV. Who Can Receive This Sacrament?](https://www.vatican.va/content/catechism/en/part_two/section_two/chapter_one/article_2/iv_who_can_receive_this_sacrament.html) — CCC 1311: the confirmation sponsor should fittingly be one of the baptismal godparents, to emphasize the unity of the two sacraments - [Code of Canon Law, Book IV (cann. 879-958)](https://www.vatican.va/archive/cod-iuris-canonici/eng/documents/cic_lib4-cann879-958_en.html) — Canon 893 §2: the sponsor at baptism is desirable as confirmation sponsor; canon 895: the names of those confirmed are recorded - [Benedict XVI, Angelus, 26 December 2006, Feast of St Stephen](https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/angelus/2006/documents/hf_ben-xvi_ang_20061226_st-stephen.html) — For believers the day of death is the day of definitive birth, dies natalis - [Benedict XVI, Angelus, 30 August 2009](https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/angelus/2009/documents/hf_ben-xvi_ang_20090830.html) — Saint Monica died on 27 August 387, aged 56 - [John Paul II, Divini Amoris Scientia (1997)](https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/1997/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_19101997_divini-amoris.html) — Saint Thérèse of Lisieux died on 30 September 1897 - [Holy See Press Office, Bulletin, 15 October 2023](https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2023/10/15/231015a.html) — Saint Thérèse of Lisieux was born on 2 January 1873 in Alençon