One of you wonderful readers sent me the story of the birth of UK Parliament Member Jacob Rees-Mogg’s sixth baby, and then I saw it all over my FB feed! Everyone’s going gaga over this little guy! And for sure it’s because of his amazing name: Sixtus Dominic Boniface Christopher!
😍😍😍😍😍😍😍
Indeed, Rees-Mogg is Catholic, as his baby’s name proclaims! (Also, as his sister’s name proclaims — Annunziata!) Little Sixtus is also the sixth baby! According to British Baby Names, he joins siblings:
Peter Theodore Alphege
Mary Anne Charlotte Emma
Thomas Wentworth Somerset Dunstan
Anselm Charles Fitzwilliam
Alfred Wulfric Leyson Pius
In Rees-Mogg’s announcement on IG he referred to the big sibs as Peter, Mary, Thomas, Anselm, and Alfred, so no double names or interesting nicknames as far as I know. I love seeing Anselm in the first name spot! Congratulations to the whole family!
This all brings me to what I intended to post today — Cat said in a comment a couple of weeks ago:
“I’d love to see a post and comments on the most unique or out-there Catholicky Catholic name people have ever used or known a person with that name.”
I would love to know that too! I’m on my way out the door and can’t martial my thoughts to share my own, but I can’t wait to read yours!
My sister knows a little boy named Chrysoganus.
Most of the other names don’t sound so “out there” these days.
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I saw this story earlier on the BBC and thought I’d better mention it here, with such a great naming sibset, of course you’re ahead of me! Great to read your thoughts! 🙂
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Thanks for thinking of us! 😀
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Sometimes I both admire the gutsy first names and wonder if the child will appreciate it as he ages. Sixtus, when you are baby #6, seems like a hard first name to carry… but maybe he’ll find it good fun. Could go either way. 🙂
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You’re right, it’s always a risk!
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We had a Catholic family in our homeschool group that named their baby boy Tarcisius. A great saint but I could never commit to pulling that one off as a first name!
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I know a baby boy named Ath@nasius, brother to a sister named Dymphn@. Those are probably the most bold Catholic names I know in real life. Plus, I also know of a family with a Sixtus for number 6! They call him Six.
Great idea for a post, can’t wait to read other comments!
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I don’t know any boldly named Catholic babies in real life. Well, at least, all the Anglo kids at our parish have normal names but some of the Spanish ones are more interesting. Fatima (pronounced fa-TEE-ma- so much prettier than the English pronunciation) Guadulupe comes to mind, and there are lots more but I never know if those are bold in their culture or not.
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My neighbor’s little girl is a Fatima. They’re Mexican and we all usually call her Fati (Fah-tee).
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A friend of a friend was named Angadresma.
I’ve also known a few men named Pius.
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Angadresma! I’ve never heard of that name!
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The name I had in mind when I left that comment was thanks to an acquaintance who has a little girl named Frassatia (after Bl. Pier Georgio Frassati). She was only a few months old last time we saw them, so I don’t know if they’re doing a nickname yet.
This is such a perfect post to throw that discussion question in! Sixtus is an amazing name.
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I’m always interested when the name is feminized or masculinized, like Frassati–>Frassatia. If you ever find out if she has a nickname, I’d love to know!
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They mentioned that Tia was an option. But we will see.
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That’s cute!
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I completely love that they have an Anselm! (When my husband and I were dating, he lived near San Anselmo at one point and I always thought that was fun to say. 🙂 ) Such an awesomely named family!
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We have friends with a Maxiumus, Titus, Faustina, Lucia, and Augustine, and another family with a Giovanni Paulo and a Pierre Giorgio. Oh, and I met a mom at Mass last week with a daughter named Clemence who was born during the year of mercy.
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I love hearing about Mercy babies born during the Year of Mercy!
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An Agnes born this January is honestly the “boldest” name I know personally/in real life. I’m amazed by some of these names!
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I think the boldest I’ve seen in use are Perpetua (nn Peppy) and Peregrine.
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I have an Augustine who was born in January. My husband and I have joked about naming a boy Januarius (an awesome saint, btw) if we he were born in August, but I don’t think we would be gutsy enough. Regarding the post, I have seen Atticus and Anselm and Ignatius, which I thought were more on the unusual Catholic side. Then again, to reiterate a previous comment, I used to think a lot of Catholic names were weird and now I don’t think twice about them. I never would have imagined having a boy named Augustine when I was thinking of my future family as a teen.
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I’m totally the same: “I used to think a lot of Catholic names were weird and now I don’t think twice about them.” And all because of you guys!! I love the idea of Januarius. The Italian variant Gennaro is one of my favorites (and I know one irl). I love Augustine!
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*Ancilla (meaning “handmaid”–in reference to “I am the handmaid of the Lord” Luke 1:38)
*Jubilee (in reference to Luke 4:21, which references the jubilee years of the Old Testament)–note that I fully expected this one to become a trend but I guess it hasn’t.
*Caeli is another I’ve met in real life and seems fairly unusual but also kind of expected (not as unusual as the other two I mentioned)
I mean, I guess those are the only really unusual ones I can think of. I know of a Byzantine Catholic priest who took on the name Chrysostom when he was ordained but that wasn’t his birth name. I haven’t ever met a Chrysoganus or something like that! (As mentioned in the first comment.)
I’m quite impressed by MP Rees-Mogg’s naming style!!!!
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I know of a Fr. Chrysostom too! I’ve never heard of Ancilla, I like it!
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A long time ago a commenter here mentioned having a granddaughter Ancilla and I wondered if it might be the very same Ancilla, because how common can that be?!
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So true! Such a cool name!
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Wish I had thought to post this earlier. Does anyone know a Cyprian and how usable is it?
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I would love to know the answer to this too! I don’t know any Cyprians, but it’s such a cool name!
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My husband loves it and he’s such a traditionalist – sort of like yours who has Bob as a naming style.
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Amazing that he likes it!
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[…] Emma); the babies of some famous parents (Abby Johnson’s twins!, Tori Spelling, British Catholic MP Jacob Rees-Moggs); three sets of twins (Abby’s above, and two of those I did consultations for: here and […]
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