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Your Christian Name


Beckys_Mom

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Though most Americans would refer to it as their "first" name, most would understand what you meant by "Christian" name.

A friend of mine actually had her name changed when she was baptised as an adult.

My name - Douglas - is Gaelic for "dark water" (dubh = dark; glassa = water). It comes from a small lake in Scotland now known as the Douglas Water. The name has nothing to do with Christianity, so calling it a Christian name would not be appropriate.

Though "Christian" in name, the clans have rarely behaved in a "Christian" manner. Of course, MacDuff held its lands "By the Grace of God", that is, by the sword, and our badge shows a Scottish lion holding a sword with the motto: "Deus Juvat" - "God Assists." So maybe we were behaving in a God-approved (if not Chrsitian) manner, after all.

Doug

Say Doug... thats not what Christian name means... to call it your christian name only means your 1st name.. and they named it your christian name due to how you were baptized into a christian church... not that the name given to you is linked to religion lol

Take my 1st name...I was christened - Geraldine (Geri for short)...my name = The girl's name Geraldine \ is pronounced jare-ul-DEEN. It is of Old German and French origin, and its meaning is "spear ruler". Feminine form of Gerald, first coined in the 16th century

So my 1st name being Gerladine...is known as my christian name....only due to me being baptized into the christian church....... not the name itself is linked to christianity as I demonstrated above

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Geri - Geraldine is a Christian name by its sense, as you were named after St Geraldine. Pagan origins of the name are irrelevant. Christians usually assign a day/date to the saints and celebrate these saints on this day. If you are born on the day, say, of St Geraldine, then it is likely they would baptise you as Geraldine too. Church cannot baptise anyone under the name, which is not in a church calendar, it is the same in RCC and Orthodox church. At best they can baptise one in the OTHER saint's name. Say, they cannot baptise one in a Muslim name, and have to find for such convert an appropriate name used in Christianity. For example, Ethiopian prince Ibrahim was in 18th century baptised as Abram, as "Abraham" would be a Jewish name, while Orthodox church accepts Abram as a Biblical patriarch name despite him not being a celebrated saint.

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Geri - Geraldine is a Christian name by its sense, as you were named after St Geraldine. Pagan origins of the name are irrelevant. Christians usually assign a day/date to the saints and celebrate these saints on this day. If you are born on the day, say, of St Geraldine, then it is likely they would baptise you as Geraldine too. Church cannot baptise anyone under the name, which is not in a church calendar, it is the same in RCC and Orthodox church. At best they can baptise one in the OTHER saint's name. Say, they cannot baptise one in a Muslim name, and have to find for such convert an appropriate name used in Christianity. For example, Ethiopian prince Ibrahim was in 18th century baptised as Abram, as "Abraham" would be a Jewish name, while Orthodox church accepts Abram as a Biblical patriarch name despite him not being a celebrated saint.

Hmm interesting...

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Geri - Geraldine is a Christian name by its sense, as you were named after St Geraldine.

There's a saint Geraldine??...ok.. well anyhoo - No I wasnt named after a saint.. my parents told me why they named me Geraldine.. it was after one of my cousins that my dad was close to.. his name was Gerald.... thats it...my grandmother suggested it after Gerald... not some saint... the chose is the parents and why........ A family who christen their kid doesnt mean they chose the name because the RCC hapen to call some holy joe a saint

Also many of those that have in fact been christened in a church...all do not have christian type names after a aint or whatever LOL.....

I mean before this Geraldine was ever seen as a saint... then what?.those before her that were called Geraldine or even before the RCC descided to call her a saint...it wasnt a holy name?............So many common names are saint names.. but not everyone will say - ohh thats why you were called such n such LOL

only name I have that I chose as to link it to my former faith was my comfirmation name.. when you get confirmed at the age of 11 - 12... you have to chose a saints name... it then becomes your confirmation name.......... I chose Bernedette......after Saint Bernadette....

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Most Christian names don't have a lot to do with the saint "assigned" as it were, to the day of birth. Just about every Christian/Catholic I know, in fact, does not follow that trend.

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. Church cannot baptise anyone under the name, which is not in a church calendar, it is the same in RCC and Orthodox church.

Well then the RCC churches over here do in fact differ.. My sister was baptized in the RCC church..Vivienne...and I doubt there is a saint Vivienne..in the female sense...not even listed --> http://www.catholic.org/saints/female.php

5 years previous to her christening... my brother was baptized in another RCC church in a different county...his 1st name - Colin... and I havent heard of a saint Colin lol......and again the RCC didnt have a problem with it

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Well then the RCC churches over here do in fact differ.. My sister was baptized in the RCC church..Vivienne...and I doubt there is a saint Vivienne..in the female sense...not even listed --> http://www.catholic.org/saints/female.php

5 years previous to her christening... my brother was baptized in another RCC church in a different county...his 1st name - Colin... and I havent heard of a saint Colin lol......and again the RCC didnt have a problem with it

It just seems more like he was stating a rule of thumb...which would make sense. But it's just not how the RCC does things.

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Most Christian names don't have a lot to do with the saint "assigned" as it were, to the day of birth. Just about every Christian/Catholic I know, in fact, does not follow that trend.

A lot of people have had their kids baptized in a catholic church and didnt need to chose a saints name...so I agree with you on this

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It just seems more like he was stating a rule of thumb...which would make sense. But it's just not how the RCC does things.

Well he cannot speak for my family ...my parents and my grandmother told me why I was namd Geraldine...only because I complained about my name a lot LOLw00t.gif and the churches over here...and I agree with you its not how the RCC do things... they didnt have an issue with my parents naming my other siblings names that are not taken from saints

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Geri, St Geraldine is not a Catholic saint, she is an Anglican saint, somehow connected to Scotland. Gerald/Geraldine is a pagan name, its Slavic analogue is Yaroslav/Yaroslava. The name Vivienne obviously is derived from Latin Vita, Alive, Quick ("vivid") - but the same time it seems to be a French diminutive form of some name, not the name itself. There is however a commonly used name Vitus and heaps of similar saint names used in RCC. http://www.catholic.org/saints/stindex.php?lst=V

St. Vitalian

St. Vitalian

St. Vitalian

St. Vitalianus(Vitalis)

St. Vitalicus

St. Vitalina

St. Vitalis

St. Vitalis

Sts. Vitalis and Valeria

St. Vitalis

St. Vitalis

St. Vitalis

St. Vitalis

St. Vitalis of Gaza

St. Vitonus

St. Vitus

St. Vitus

St. Vitus

St. Viventiolus

St. Viventius

St. Vivian

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Geri, St Geraldine is not a Catholic saint, she is an Anglican saint,

And?? It means nothing to me.. or my parents .. for it not why they gave me the name

St. Vitus

St. Vitus

St. Viventiolus

St. Viventius

St. Vivian

The one highlighted is a male saint... My sister is called Vivienne.. the famale version of that name.. but it doesnt mean she was named after a male saint...

I am surprized you didnt find something for my brother Colin LOL

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Look, Vivienne is a derivative name, most likely appeared as "a daughter of Vivien" and then used as stand-alone. It sure has something to do with the church as it is "celebrated" at December 02. And about.com says it is a rather rare name, there is only 1000 of them in France, and each year only another 50 are named like that. The Church must admit this name somehow, it IS a Christian name.

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I'm wondering why you believe that the name is intrinsically connected with the date of birth on the church calendar. The parents are the one who name the child.

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People use a lot of pagan names and names from non-Christian religions. Name does not really belong to a religion, it rather belongs to some tribes, which could be non-existing already, I mean the "traditional" names. We use a lot of Jewish names through Christianity - Paul, Michael, John, Benjamin etc; but if there were people, canonised as saints under these their names, then the names become "Christian" and the church can baptise using them. They won't baptise you as Boadicca or Krimchilde, as there is no such saint, so instead they would select some other name, say Barbara. But in the passport you can have any name your parents or yourself chose for you.

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I'm wondering why you believe that the name is intrinsically connected with the date of birth on the church calendar. The parents are the one who name the child.

It is not anyhow connected - BECAUSE the church has been separated from the state. But they were connected when the church had political powers. This was generally over in 19th-early 20th centuries, in France earlier, in 18th century.

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It is not anyhow connected - BECAUSE the church has been separated from the state. But they were connected when the church had political powers. This was generally over in 19th-early 20th centuries, in France earlier, in 18th century.

Source?

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Have you been attending a school???

No, sorry, I should've clarified. I meant a source for the assertion that the Church used to choose baby names.

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No, sorry, I should've clarified. I meant a source for the assertion that the Church used to choose baby names.

Ohhh... You scared me, to be honest...

Which source would you like? Do you use to ask questions to the elderly? Some still must remember those days.

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Ohhh... You scared me, to be honest...

Which source would you like? Do you use to ask questions to the elderly? Some still must remember those days.

Haha...sorry to scare you like that.

I guess I could try to find someone who remembers the early 20th century...

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Look, Vivienne is a derivative name, most likely appeared as "a daughter of Vivien" and then used as stand-alone. It sure has something to do with the church as it is "celebrated" at December 02. And about.com says it is a rather rare name, there is only 1000 of them in France, and each year only another 50 are named like that. The Church must admit this name somehow, it IS a Christian name.

*sigh* look just because there was a male saint called Vivian... doesnt mean my parents and the preist thought hey you are naming your daughter after a saint...so its NOT a christian name....... the guy Vivian was a saint. but there was no female saint under the name of Vivienne...

And the name - Colin is not from a saint...I know you are not trying to say it is.....but its a good example as to how the RCC over here do not question the parents name choices...that along with many of my own cousins who have Irish names and a lot of them are not after saints

Your name is the same as Anthony.... it doesnt mean your parents thought - hey wouldnt it be just fab to name him after a saint lol.....

You should understand that just because the church announce someone as a saint...does not make the actual name itself a christian name..its just a name the person had long before they were named a saint..........and they were made a saint due to their work etc.. their names have nothing to do with it... the names I am sure existed long before the church descided to make someone with a certain name a saint....as if to say - ok he is a saint.. his name is now and forver a christian name.........further more.. not everyone will agree with it....I mean just because a church says something.. all of a sudden its set in stone for all.........IE - their bible.. they call it real..truth.. doesnt mean we see it that way

The term christian name = your 1st name... given to you when you were baptized... it doesnt mean your actual name itself is holy... & belongs only to the church's faith...

You are named after who ever your parents want you to be named after...IE - You could be named after a movie star.. doesnt make the name itself Hollywood name LMAO

Edited by Beckys_Mom
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Haha...sorry to scare you like that.

I guess I could try to find someone who remembers the early 20th century...

ha ha ha ha you do have a sense of humor...:w00t:

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Yes everyone in Australia knows what a christian name is, I can't remember though the last time i was asked for my christian name...usually on forms it asks for your first name or given name.

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Colin is not from a saint...I know you are not trying to say it is.....but its a good example as to how the RCC over here do not question the parents name choices...that along with many of my own cousins who have Irish names and a lot of them are not after saints

Geri, I already explained that the churches simply cannot dictate anything today, as they do not have any political power, any attempt to dictate would only make clowns out of them. The tradition of baptising was saved till our days, but it was greatly amended. Parents today choose the names for the baby well before this baby is born, and of course there is no church which can dictate how to call this baby! But this is only NOW, not 100+ years ago.Then the parents were HAPPY to have the baby named by the church - the times differ and the traditions are amended. We still formally say "mother-in-law" but we may only see her once a year, we do not normally live in one house with her, this family title was preserved since the past centuries and makes no sense in our days. But in the past it was making sense, as she was INSTEAD of a real mother for a young woman (or a lad sometimes) who moved to live with the parents of their new spouse. All what we have today originates somewhere in the past, and this tradition of "Christian names" is not an exception. We still say "landlord" despite now it mostly refers to some grub whom we rent the rooms from, while 200 years ago this was meaning a mighty Feudal, whose land you are forced plough with the permission to take some crops from it for your own family! The times change.

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In France all paperwork are formatted with only Nom (name) and Prenom (first name). There are no room for middle name or initials, which is still widely use. I think it's the same in Germany. As far as I know due to the Communist influence of the past century, it would be the same in Poland (three countries I know well).

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