the rest at Knights of Divine MercyWhile names such as Sienna and Scarlett have become fashionable in recent years, Pope Benedict XVI called for a return to tradition.
During Mass at the Sistine Chapel, he said: “Every baptised child acquires the character of the son of God, beginning with their Christian name, an unmistakable sign that the Holy Spirit causes man to be born anew in the womb of the Church.” He added that a name was an “indelible seal” that set children off on a lifelong “journey of religious faith”.
According to the Office for National Statistics, celebrity names such as Ashton – after the actor Ashton Kutcher – and Lily – after the singer Lily Allen – are among the most popular in England and Wales. The names celebrities give their own children can be even more exotic.
Cristina Odone, a former editor of The Catholic Herald who grew up in Italy, said: “There are so many of the church’s traditions which we have come to ignore and which are actually meaningful and have a big spiritual significance. To deprive our children of that sense of having a protecting saint is to rob them of something very significant. Many of today’s names are not just un-Christian but they are also crass and consumerist.”
According to official statistics, the most popular name for newborns in Britain is Mohammed, after the Islamic prophet. A total of 7,549 newborns were given variations of the name last year. It overtook Jack, which topped the list for 14 years.
Trying to decide on a girl name right now. I'm thinking Shahneequah or something to that order... ;)
Seriously though, Gertrude(after Gertrude the Great!) is being shot down by my wife(and everybody else I've talked to about it) because it's an old lady name. You would give her a nickname like Gerti(German) or Truda(Polish). She's always happy when I "blame" things on her out here on the BC....
4 comments:
My husband and I picked out names when we were still dating and are still waiting to use them. All but one of the names is Scriptural, and it's used as a middle name to continue a family tradition. And if you really want to be unique, there's plenty to go on in Catholic history.
If you're looking for girl names, what about Dymphna? Or Thordgith? How about Zdislava? Plenty of great saint names out there to choose from...
LOL, Thordgith sounds like a glandular problem!
We've got a list of about 10 we agree on(sort of) but trying to narrow it down. Not on the list: Sienna and Scarlett. My sister has a devotion to St. Dymphna so she would love that.
What about Lucy, Anne, Martha, Elizabeth, or Julia (just to name a few)?
Anon, we have a few of those on our list. There are some "normal" names I'll agree to but I love St. Gertrude, but I guess that doesn't necessarily mean I will get a child named after her.
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