Having a baby is an exciting moment for parents, godparents, families and friends. Every day as the baby is growing in the mother’s womb, parents, godparents, families and friends are continuously getting together to express their love, faith, and hope for the new baby on the way. As everyone is sharing their joy, there is one certainty that everyone, particularly parents and godparents, have in mind. They want to make sure the new baby follow the path in Jesus Christ. In doing so, everyone agrees the best choice towards this path of light is when parents choose a Christian name for their new baby.  Parents are certain in their decision that when the time comes to choose a name for their new baby, the name needs to come from the parent’s heart that reflects their Christian faith, heritage, and love. Parents and Godparents believe when one combine these three elements, the new baby will develop confidence in their identity, grow into a moral and virtuous person in moral values and build a foundation in the life of Jesus Christ.  As Adamcio states, “There are reasons for choosing and selecting an Orthodox Baptismal name… [It is about giving a child] a saint’s name [that] shows the unity we share with Christ Himself. It is a special way of showing that we are part of the Mystical Body of Christ…Whatever name may be chosen, it is important to remember that we still bear one more, special name: Christian. By virtue of our baptism and our life in the Church, we are sealed with the name of Jesus Christ Himself” (xviii-xix). As the parents begin their task in finding a name  their new baby, many parents will trust on their senses by having their heart pull them on which name to choose. During this search, many parents will come across this task either with ease or with difficulty. 

As many parents can agree, there is work in finding a good Christian name for a baby. With this task in mind, Heavenly Grace decided to compile a list of Eastern Orthodox Christian names for parents and even godparents to turn too  Parents and Godparents will find in this list names of saints found in the Eastern Orthodox Church, as well as Biblical names.  Heavenly Grace chose these names that touched the senses with beauty found in spelling, pronunciation, and meanings. In addition, Heavenly Grace decided to pull from the list one of these names with their definition next to it and use it into their collection, i.e. christening and special occasion. Furthermore, parents, godparents and anyone else of interest will be able to view in this list more version of the same Christian name used both by Eastern Orthodox Christians who are from different nations, and which day these Christian names are being celebrated according to the Eastern Orthodox Church Julian and Gregorian calendar. Christians who are from different faiths will also find in this list Christian names that are the same or similar in one’s own faith and culture. Please note: Christian names will be continuously updated, and Christian names that are in bold print are the ones used in Heavenly Grace past and present collection.  The collection of Christian names and their information were retrieved from Adamcio, Orthodox Baptismal Names, 1994;  Serbian Eastern Orthodox Church, Kalendar 2000 za prestupnu, 2000 ; Velimirovich, Ohridcki Prolog, 1961; ROEA, Solia Calendar 2006, 2006.

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