Initiation As the parents Orthodox 5 min read

Orthodox naming as the parents

What Orthodox parents prepare for: the choice of saint, the Naming on the Eighth Day, the name day, and the relationship between naming and baptism.

01 The Orthodox naming sequence

Orthodox naming is a sequence of distinct moments, not a single act. The child is named at the Naming on the Eighth Day rite, which occurs (as the name says) on the eighth day after birth. The naming is followed by baptism, which in Orthodox practice typically occurs at or near 40 days after birth and is celebrated alongside chrismation.

The eighth day takes its meaning from the Mosaic law (Leviticus 12:3) and from the gospel narrative: Jesus himself was circumcised and named on the eighth day after his birth (Luke 2:21). The Orthodox rite carries this scriptural pattern forward, marking the eighth day as the day the child receives a name in the Church.

02 Choosing the saint

The choice of saint is the principal decision in Orthodox naming. The saint becomes the patron of the child: the figure under whose intercession the child grows up, whose feast becomes the family's annual occasion of celebration, and whose icon will often hang in the child's room.

Common bases for choosing a saint include: a saint whose feast falls near the date of the child's birth (a customary practice in many Orthodox households), a saint named in family memory (a grandparent's patron, a saint who was meaningful to the parents), a saint from the family's national heritage (a Greek family may choose a Greek saint; a Russian family a Russian saint; an Antiochian family a Syrian or Lebanese saint), or a saint with whose life the parents feel a particular connection.

The Orthodox calendar lists saints for every day of the year; the parish priest can help the family identify saints associated with particular feast days or particular forms of a name. In US practice the choice is normally settled before the Naming on the Eighth Day rite; the priest needs to know the name to celebrate the rite.

03 The Naming on the Eighth Day

The rite itself is brief. In US Orthodox practice the form is often a short prayer service at the home or at the church on the eighth day after birth, with the priest, the parents, and (where possible) the godparents present.

The principal moments of the rite: the priest greets the family, opens the prayer book to the rite of the Naming, and prays for the child. The priest then asks the parents the name they have chosen, and the priest invokes that name in prayer over the child. The rite closes with a final blessing on the child and the family.

The child is, from the eighth day onward, addressed by the saint's name in family and parish life. The legal name (where it differs) is used in civil contexts; the saint's name is used in the Church.

04 The establishment of the name day

The saint's feast day becomes the child's name day. In strict Orthodox practice the name day is the principal annual celebration of the person, observed more than the birthday. In US Orthodox practice both are commonly observed; the family chooses how to weight them.

The name day observance typically involves attendance at the Divine Liturgy on the feast day where the family is able, often with the person receiving Communion, and a meal at home bringing family and friends together. Gifts are common, often religious in character: an icon of the patron saint, a prayer book, a cross. The family of the person celebrating the name day often hosts the meal; visitors come to offer their congratulations.

Where a saint has more than one feast in the calendar (a translation of relics, an additional commemoration), the family normally observes the principal feast. The parish priest can advise where the choice is not obvious.

05 Naming and baptism

Between the Naming on the Eighth Day and the baptism (typically at or near 40 days), the child carries the saint's name without yet being baptized. The Orthodox rite of baptism, celebrated alongside chrismation, uses the saint's name throughout: the priest baptizes the child in the name given at the Naming.

For Orthodox families the relationship between naming and baptism is sequential: the name is given first, the baptism brings the child into the Church under that name. The two moments are connected liturgically and theologically; the family experiences them as parts of a single process of bringing the child into Christian life.

06 Common questions

Why the eighth day?
The eighth day takes its meaning from the Mosaic law: Leviticus 12:3 directs that a male child be circumcised on the eighth day, when the child is named (the priest of Israel performs the naming; see Genesis 17:12, Genesis 21:4). The New Testament records that Jesus himself was circumcised and named on the eighth day after his birth (Luke 2:21). Orthodox practice draws directly from this scriptural pattern, with the Naming on the Eighth Day rite carrying the inheritance forward in Christian form.
Does the name have to be a saint's name?
In Orthodox practice, almost always. The choice of saint becomes the establishment of the patron, and the saint's feast day becomes the name day. Some US Orthodox families combine an Orthodox saint name (often as the middle name or as the baptismal name distinct from the legal name) with a contemporary first name; the parish priest can advise on what the local custom permits. The form of the rite presumes a saint's name.
What if the legal name is not the baptismal name?
Some Orthodox families register the child under a contemporary legal first name and use an Orthodox saint name as the baptismal name, with both names recorded in the parish register. The baptismal name is the one used in the rite of baptism and in subsequent sacramental records. The legal name and the baptismal name need not match, and many US Orthodox families with mixed cultural heritage use both.
Does the family attend the rite?
The Naming on the Eighth Day is celebrated with the family present. In US practice the form is normally a brief service at the home (where the priest brings the prayer book and the family gathers around the child) or at the church (with the family attending). The mother is normally still recovering at the eighth day; the rite is short and undemanding. The priest at the parish can advise on the local form.
What is the relationship between the Naming and the baptism?
In Orthodox practice the Naming on the Eighth Day and the baptism are separate rites. The Naming establishes the name and the saint as patron; the baptism (typically celebrated at or near 40 days after birth, alongside chrismation in Orthodox practice) brings the child into the Church. Between the eighth day and the fortieth day the child is referred to by the given name in family and parish life.

07 Pastoral note

Last reviewed against primary sources: May 17, 2026