Please keep in your prayers the family of longtime Sancta Nomina friend Rosie from A Blog for My Mom — her two month old baby girl, Margaret Mary, died a few days ago. There are efforts to support the family, if you are willing and able — links are included in this post.
Here’s the latest consultation from Theresa Zoe Williams:
Mama Lucy writes in:
āI am pregnant with our 4th child. Praise God! This babe is due in February 2022. We are not yet sure what gender this baby is, and Iām out 100% sure we will find out before birth! Our names for a boy and girl were set before we were even married, but the third was debated (mostly only by me ha!) until I saw her face.ā
This baby will join big siblings:
- Michael Dominic
- Clara Marie-Therese
- Gianna Marie-Rose
She writes:
āOur girls have the Marie- _____ middle so that each one would be sure to have a Marian name. We kind of stole it from Louie and Zelie Martin. We also like that they will always share that even if their last name changes down the road. We have unintentionally gone with Italian saints for the girls first names so far, and Iād like to break from that so to not get too stuck on it. Itās not that we only like Italian names. Those just happened to feel right.
If we have another boy weād like another strong saint first name (St. Michael) and a nod to Mary with the middle (st. Dominic spreading the rosary). Michaelās initials are MDW just like my husbandās and his fatherās. I do love the name Jackson though and would love a baby Jack, maybe you could help find a saint connection?
The only other non-canonized saint on our (very long) list is Anna Mae. This was my paternal grandmotherās name, and I love It but we have a lot of short a sound in or girls and the āAnnaā in Gianna already. Am I overthinking? Names do not have to be canonized saints but weād love a connection to our faith. Virtues, places, etc. I LOVE nicknames. Our first two mostly go by their first names but Gianna goes by Gigi, Geeg, and Geeger, and my husband and I both Love that she has multiple nicknames. Weāve discussed having a Lily Marie-Catherine and calling her Lily-Cate in the past. I also have a devotion to the miraculous medal. Catherine Laboure is another Catherine Iād love to honor. Like I said though, so many Catherineās in the family already.ā
Names they cannot use:
- Caroline
- Louie
- Catherine (“So many variations in our family, but my confirmation saint was Catherine of Alexandria and Iād love to honor her somehow“)
Names they like but donāt feel like the one:
- Joseph
- Peter
- Benedict
- Karol (“as a middle“)
- George (“if Gianna was a boy she was going to be George Karol, two saints we love + GK for GK Chesterton who is one of my husbandās favorite authors“)
- Bosco (“nicknamed Bo“)
- Augustine (“I love Gus and Auggie!“)
- Sebastian (“Bash! I saw on this blog and loved!“)
- Jackson/Jack
- Zelie
- Beatrice (“my husband loves that a girl named Beatrice is what inspired Danteās writings“)
- Anna Mae
- Vianney (“I love St. John Vianney but we donāt like John, but again with that short a sound/ann“)
- Felicity (“husband is not a huge fan, I need nickname suggestions“)
- Lily
- Alice
So first, I thought Iād give some thoughts on names they said they like but donāt feel like āthe oneā.
Joseph– Great, strong name, especially in this year of St. Joseph. Has a built-in Marian connection, too! Lots of great nickname potential here, too, including Joe, Joey, Joss, and Seph.
Peter– Another great, strong name literally meaning ārockā. Doesnāt get more solid than that! I love this name because it has so many faith and pop culture connections but is still fairly underused. I love the nickname Pete, too.
Benedict– I see a pope theme emerging! Another really great, strong name with lots of nickname potential. If they named their son Benedict Joseph, they could also call him Banjo, like a slur of Ben Joe. (Someday, someone will take me up on this and it will be glorious!)
Karol– They said they like this in the middle spot and, with their other kids, I agree. Pope St. John Paul II had a huge and very public Marian devotion, which is wonderful. Karol is also the Polish form of Charles, meaning āarmy, warriorā which is super cool for a kid of the faith. I love all the connections here.
George– On the rise but still fairly uncommon. I love this name. Nicknames here can be Georgie, Geo, Jory, or, a little bit of a stretch, Rory.
Bosco– This veers a little bit from their strong names for boys in that itās not traditional or classic but is still very strong and is a trendy surname name. I think this is a really cute name, especially with nickname Bo, and St. John Bosco is a lovely patron.
Augustine– Canāt go wrong with this one, although itās not a classic name but it is still very strong. I LOVE the nickname Gus and Auggie is super cute, too. Fun fact, this name means āexalted, venerableā which is cool considering St. Augustine is a Church Father and a Doctor of the Church.
Sebastian– Love this name and it has been growing in popularity. This would bridge the gap between their sonās name and their daughtersā names really well, too. I LOVE the nickname Bash! It just reminds me so much of a little boy.
Jackson/Jack– Super popular and trendy but because theyāre such good, strong, classic names! They asked for a faith connection for these. Jack is a diminutive of John and Jacob (through the French Jacques) so any saint John, Jacob, or James (Jacob and James are etymologically the same name) can be patron! Lots and lots to choose from! Jackson could mean āfollower or devotee of [insert patron saint John, Jacob, or James]ā which is a cool connection. Jack has also come into being a slang term for a man which could then relate it to the Italian Guido and thereās a super cool Servant of God Guido Shaffer who could be patron. He was a Brazilian doctor, seminarian, and surfer, and has been proposed as the eventual patron saint of surfing.
Zelie– Super on-trend, rising Catholic name. I absolutely adore this name. Itās got the cool Z beginning and the lovely -ee sound ending. St. Zelie was also amazing and this brings them away from the Italian saints like they said they wanted
Beatrice– One of those clunky cool old names coming back. This is another Italian name, though, but just so lovely and I donāt think it has a very immediate Italian connection. It means āvoyager, travellerā which is what weāre doing in this life. In this way, it could be a cool nod to St. Therese who said, āThe worldās thy ship and not thy home.ā Thereās a St. Beatrice of Rome and several other Blessed Beatrices.
Anna Mae– I love this combo and I donāt think Anna is too close to Gianna. The one thing for consideration here is that Mae is a form of Mary, so theyād have to figure out a different way to do their Marie- middle name. Maybe Anna-Mae in the middle and a different first?
Vianney– This was super unexpected! St. John Vianney is a lovely patron but I just didnāt expect this for a girl! They could do nicknames Vi or Annie with this name for her, too.
Felicity– Great name thatās rising in popularity. They were wondering about nicknames for this so Iām assuming they thought of Lissy and didnāt like it. Flick and Flicka are two unexpected nicknames and a Hungarian diminutive is Zita (I know this is also an Italian name and might defeat their trying to get away from Italian names rule). Another nickname could be the literal āHappyā, which is the meaning of the name or āLuckyā which is another meaning of the name.
Lily Marie-Catherine nn Lily-Cate– Oh my goodness! I read this and I just felt like this is āthe oneā for them! It checks all of their boxes! It moves them away from Italian saints, gets their love of Catherine in there, stays the course with all of their girls having Marie- middle names, and has a lovely nickname! I really think this one is it for them.
Alice– Another clunky cool old name making its way back. I like this for them and with their other children. Itās a short form of Adelaide and there are a couple Sts. Alice or Adelaide to take patronage from.
On to new suggestions! Letās start with the boys first.
(1) Joachim/n
This uncommon names means āYahweh establishesā and is the name of Maryās father. I think they might like this best in the middle but it does shorten to Joe, which is an especially cute nickname in this year of St. Joseph. Their love for Karol made me think they might like this name. Itās still strong, just not classic, and gives them more leeway in naming any future children. It opens up their style a bit without going completely left field. Again, though, I think they may like this in the middle best.
(2) Gabriel
It doesnāt get much more Marian and classic, strong than this name! It means āGod is my strong manā. Gabriel was the archangel at the Annunciation and is also the name of St. Gabriel Possenti of Our Lady of Sorrows, giving it a double Marian punch. This would mean that two of their sons would have the same names as Archangels, though.
(3) Luke
St. Luke wrote the most Marian Gospel, which is what gives this name its Marian connection. Itās simple, sweet, and classic. I donāt think they could go wrong with this name and it fits so nicely with all of their other children.
(4) Thaddeus
He was the apostle also known as Jude and the name means āheartā. The nickname Thad is adorable, too! Likewise, an unofficial suggestion is Theodore. I think they may like this one for the same reasons and it has lots of nickname potential like Theo, Ted, and Teddy.
(5) Gerard
I always think of this name as a Marian name since he is the patron saint of expectant mothers. Itās classic, underused, and strong. I really love this name for them. It has a ton of nickname potential like G/Jerry, G/Jer, or, starting to stretch it a bit, Gordo or Rory.
Now for girls. This one was a little harder for me because their tastes lean Italian but they wanted to get away from that. I cast my net really wide for these suggestions and I think theyāll like what Iāve thought up.
(1) Alexandria
I thought of this one because of their love for St. Catherine of Alexandria. It gets one of their Catherine names in without using Catherine and is more unexpected. Thereās TONS of nickname potential here: Alex, Ana, Ria, Alexa, Lexi, and even Alix or Alice! This name has the flourish like their other girlsā names without being an Italian name, which I think is something theyāll appreciate.
(2) Sophie
Itās a French name! And it means āwisdomā. There are lots of Sts. Sophia to take patronage from and I thought it would be cool to use a French name to honor an Italian saint, like theyāve done before. However, thereās also the French Bl. Madeleine Sophie Barat for patronage!
(3) Zoe
A Greek name and saint! St. Zoe of Pamphylia was a mother who lived in the 3rd century and watched her whole family be tortured and martyred. Sheās an incredible, little-known saint. Zoe was also the birth name of St. Catherine Laboure. This name came to me because of their love of Zelie, itās got all the same things going for it, plus itās the Greek word for the spiritual life.
(4) Madeleine
Another French name! Itās the French form of Magdalen, so she could take her patronage there. St. Mary Magdalen also accompanied Mary to the cross, so itās a solid Marian name, too. Thereās also St. Madeleine Sophie Barat. Sophie Marie-Madeleine or Zoe Marie-Madeleine are just so swoony to me!
(5) Charlotte
I took their love of the name Karol and kind of ran with it. I thought they might like the feminine, French form Charlotte. There are lots of Venerable Charlottes, most of them martyred in the French Revolution. One other stood out to me, though, Ven. Marie-Charlotte Dupouy Bordes founded the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and of Mary, making it a Marian name in another way.
These are my thoughts. What does everyone else think?
Iām currently on hiatus from doing consultations, but Theresa Zoe Williams is available to help you! Email her at TheresaZoeWrites@gmail.com to set up your own consultation! (Payment methods remain the same.)
During my hiatus, please donāt forget about my book! Catholic Baby Names for Girls and Boys: Over 250 Ways to Honor Our Lady (Marian Press, 2018), is available to order from ShopMercy.org and Amazon (not affiliate links) ā perfect for the expectant parents, name enthusiasts, and lovers of Our Lady in your life!