What's in a Name?: Understanding and Appropriating Orthodox Naming Traditions (Especially for Converts)

A catechist’s perspective; and, why I changed my baptismal name when I became a Reader...

As an Orthodox Christian and catechist, I’ve frequently encouraged others to keep their Christian name, if they already have one, when discerning a patron saint for their baptism or chrismation. Names hold deep significance in our faith—they're not just identifiers but connections to the saints who intercede for us and guide our spiritual lives.

For much of my adult life, as an Orthodox convert, I’ve lived into this tension between names. At my baptism, I received the name Athanasius, in honor of that great defender of the Nicene Orthodoxy. Outside the liturgical context, however, I've been just Jamey. Recently, when made a Reader by His Eminence Metropolitan Sevastianios, and with the blessing of my priest and bishop, I formally appropriated the name James for my sacramental life, choosing Saint James of Nisbis as my patron saint.

This choice was particularly meaningful because Saint James of Nisbis, a relative and contemporary of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, played a crucial role in establishing Orthodox Christianity in Armenia. As my son’s patron saint is Saint Gregory the Illuminator, this connection to Armenian Christianity creates a beautiful thread in our family’s spiritual life—in fact, his godfather is in the Antiochian Archdiocese but of Armenian descent. While Saint Athanasius remains dear to me, and I continue to ask for his intercessions, embracing the name James sacramentally aligns with what I’ve always taught as a catechist: when we have a Christian name, we should honor it.

This practice has deep roots in Orthodox countries, where it’s common to have a patron saint’s name as a middle name or to use a diminutive variant of the saint’s name in daily life. For instance, my wife’s legal name is Polina, but her patron saint is Apollinaria. She grew up in Russia, and has always used “Apollinaria” at the chalice and other sacraments, while “Polina” serves as the everyday derivative of her patron’s name.

The Orthodox faith allows for both maintaining one’s given Christian name and adopting a new identity in Christ. For someone like my friend Adam, taking the name Raphael was essential to his conversion—after a “Saul to Paul” moment, his new name signified the healing transformation he experienced through faith in Christ. (Check out Raphael’s YouTube channel, Orthodox Review.)

For others, keeping one's given name can be equally meaningful, especially when it already connects to a saint. A Christian should be recognizable by his love and deeds, even more than his name. Whether you're discerning a completely new name or embracing a variation of your given one, the important thing is to see it as a way to glorify God and draw closer to him.

The choice of which saint to honor is deeply personal. Some may need a complete change, while others might find sanctification in the name they already carry. Both approaches, when rooted in prayer and reflection, are authentic expressions of our Orthodox faith. As Saint John Chrysostom says in this four part exploration of naming and name changes, we must approach all things related to conversion with humility rather than boastfulness and triumphalism:

So this Cletus [a name change] is nothing else but the teaching of humility, and the overthrow of conceit, and the tamping down of all boastfulness. For there is nothing, nothing which might be able to overcome and restrain us like humility, and being moderate, and no longer imagining anything great about oneself. Christ understood this too; when he began his spiritual teaching, he started first with the instruction from humility. When he opened his mouth he introduced this first law, saying this: “Blessed are the poor in spirit” (Matt 5:3).

At the end of the day, whatever name you’ve taken with the blessing of your priest is a good and wonderful thing. For my part, while I continue to cherish Saint Athanasius’s intercessions, I now carry the name James as both a sacramental reality and a reminder of the faith that created the first Christian nation in the world through saints like Saint James of Nisbis.

May we each honor the saints that guide us, and may our names—new, maintained, or variations—reflect the holiness to which Christ calls us.