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Did you know that a childs baptismal name can be different than the one on their birth certificate?

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greek_ggirl

greek_ggirl

Active member
I was so shocked to find out that someone can be baptized with one name and have a different official legal name. In some cases, people will want to give their child a non-Christian/Orthodox name but will still want to baptize their child and give them a baptismal name from a Greek Orthodox Saint. This is quite common in Greece when people have names from ancient Greece, such as Kleopatra.
 
Yup. My mom's name is different from her baptismal name, and the same goes for my mother- and father-in-law.
 
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So interesting...do you use the baptismal name at all? As a nickname maybe?
 
No, we don't. We call the name on their birth certificate
 
greek_ggirl said:
I was so shocked to find out that someone can be baptized with one name and have a different official legal name. In some cases, people will want to give their child a non-Christian/Orthodox name but will still want to baptize their child and give them a baptismal name from a Greek Orthodox Saint. This is quite common in Greece when people have names from ancient Greece, such as Kleopatra.
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I was baptized Kaliope, legal birth certificate is Katherine. When you are baptized, you have a chance to take on a different name. Most just keep it the same, some want to do something different. I believe it is the same with ordination. (Am I wrong or right about this? I don't quite remember). When being ordained, you can take a different name, as well.
 
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