Asaint's name, which is often also abiblical name, is the name of asaint given to individuals at theirbaptism orconfirmation within theCatholic Church, as well as in certain parts of theEastern Orthodox Church, theOriental Orthodox Churches,Lutheran Churches andAnglican Communion. It is believed that the saint whose name is chosen will serve as a specialpatron to protect and guide and will be the heavenly intercessor for the individual who bears his or her name.
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The custom of giving the name of a saint originated with the practice of individuals whoconverted to Christianity taking a newChristian name at theirbaptism.[1] The custom was popular in France and Germany during theMiddle Ages and is still customary in continental Europe.[2] In many English-speaking countries, however, it is more common for the saint's name to be adopted uponConfirmation in which case it would usually not be part of one's legal name.
Under the currentCode of Canon Law of the Catholic Church, Canon 855 states, "Parents, sponsors and parish priests are to take care that a name is not given which is foreign to Christian sentiment",[3] which would simply prohibit a baptismal name being something in the vein of "Satan", "Lucifer", or "Death".[4] However, that was not always the case; in the 1917 Code of Canon Law, Canon 761 required pastors to ensure the baptismal name was a Christian name such as "Christian", "Grace", or "Faith". Therefore, what is now called agiven name was once referred to as aChristian name and originated with thepagans ofEurope who discarded their pagan names forBiblical ones when they converted toChristianity and participated inbaptism. An additional saint's name must be given when the former is impossible.[5]
In someChristian countries, thesaint's day of the person's name is celebrated as abirthday is in other countries (cf.Name day). A child may also be named after the saint whose feast is the child's birthday. In places where Christians are in the minority and may facepersecution, parents may give both a Christian saint's name and a secular name to a child, allowing them to use the saint's name for religious purposes and the secular name for all other purposes. This is especially common in cultures, such as inSouth Korea, where traditional given names do not line up with Catholic saints' names; many Catholics in English-speaking countries of Korean descent use a Korean forename as well as a saints' name.
All proselytes were renamed in terms of their new life [in Christ]; within the church, this took the form of giving a saint's name to a child in baptism.