Initiation As a godparent Catholic 4 min read

Catholic naming as a godparent

What Catholic godparents may be asked or expected to do in the naming of a child, from input in some families to the role at the baptism itself.

01 The godparent's place in Catholic naming

The Catholic godparent does not normally make the name choice. The name is the parents' decision, guided by CIC c. 855 (which directs that the name be "not foreign to Christian sentiment") and confirmed by the priest at the pre-baptism meeting. The godparent's presence at the baptism is the formal moment of involvement.

That said, in many Catholic families the godparent is an active conversational partner in the choice. Where the godparent is a close family member (a grandparent, an aunt or uncle, a sibling of one of the parents), the family may bring the godparent into the discussion early. Where the godparent is more distant from the family (a friend chosen for the role), the conversation is often light or non-existent.

02 Cultural traditions on godparent input

Some US Catholic cultural traditions involve the godparent more directly in naming. In Hispanic Catholic practice (Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, and across Central and South American Catholic heritage), the godparent (particularly the godmother, madrina, or the godfather, padrino) is sometimes consulted on the name, and the godparent's own name or patron saint may be honored in the child's name. Italian, Irish, Polish, and other ethnically Catholic families have similar customs.

Where the family observes such a tradition, the godparent may be approached relatively early in the pregnancy. The parents typically ask the godparent's preference, and the choice is settled in conversation. The honor of having the child carry a form of the godparent's name (or the godparent's patron saint) is significant in these traditions.

In other US Catholic families the godparent is not consulted on the name; the family treats naming as a matter for the parents alone. Neither pattern is canonically right or wrong; both are accommodated in Catholic practice.

03 At the baptism

At the Catholic baptism, the priest asks the parents and godparents, "What name have you given your child?" The parents typically answer; the godparents stand with them and are included in the question. The naming question is asked of the family together, with the godparents understood to support the choice the parents have made.

The rite continues with the priest asking what the parents and godparents ask of God's Church for the child. The answer ("Baptism") is normally given by the parents; the godparents stand with them. The godparent's presence is a visible sign of the wider Christian family's welcome of the child under the name the parents have chosen.

The name is recorded in the parish baptismal register along with the names of the parents and the godparents. The baptismal certificate the family receives carries the child's name (and the godparents' names) as a permanent record.

04 After the baptism

The godparent's continuing role in the child's life often includes recognition of the name. Where the child is named after a saint, the godparent may mark the saint's feast day with a card, a small gift, or simply a phone call as the child grows up. The patron saint of the child becomes a touchstone for the godparent's relationship with the godchild over time.

Catholic godparents are normally also the principal adults outside the immediate family who will speak about the meaning of the child's name later in the child's life. The story of why the child carries a particular saint's name (or a particular family name) is part of what the godparent passes on as the godchild matures.

05 Common questions

Am I expected to weigh in on the name?
It depends on the family. In some Catholic traditions (particularly Hispanic, Italian, Irish, and Polish Catholic practice), the godparent is consulted on the name, sometimes formally and sometimes informally. In other Catholic families the choice is the parents' alone. The parents are the source for what is being asked.
What do I do at the baptism when the priest asks about the name?
The priest will ask "What name have you given your child?" The parents typically answer; the godparent stands with the parents and is included in the question. There is no separate godparent answer; the godparent's role is to be present and to confirm the family's answer by standing with them.
What if I have a question about the name choice?
Speak with the parents directly. The pre-baptism period is the time for these conversations. If the godparent has a concern about a name (a name that means something the parents may not know, a name with a problematic resonance in the godparent's tradition), the godparent can raise it; the parents decide. The priest is normally not involved unless the parents wish him to be.
Should I give a gift related to the name?
A traditional baptismal gift related to the saint the child is named after (where one is named): an icon of the saint, a holy card, a biography or children's book about the saint, a piece of jewelry with the saint's image. Such gifts mark the godparent's recognition of the patron and become a connection between the godparent and the child as the child grows up.

06 Pastoral note

Last reviewed against primary sources: May 17, 2026