Unique Saint Names Have Faith and Form
Bestowing saint names on babies is no longer a requirement for Catholic families, but many parents with a religious or historic bent want to choose a saintly name anyway.
Fortunately, there are a lot of saints to choose from, from every country and culture, so finding names that fit a more offbeat personal name style isn’t as hard as it might seem.
Here are ten of my favorite cool and unique saint names perfect for parents searching for a lesser-used choice that fits their family values.
Unusual Female Saint Names
Faustina
St. Faustina Kowalska was a Polish nun and mystic who wrote about Jesus’ Divine Mercy in her Diary. It feels sort of like a mashup of Frances and Christina and could appeal to parents who love those names.
Lourdes
Catholics love names honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary, and apparition place names are one way to do so. Lourdes is a small town in France where Mary appeared to a young girl (St. Bernadette) in the nineteenth century, and even those who aren’t practising Catholics are drawn to it, as was Madonna, who named her daughter Lourdes (nicknamed Lola).
Magdalene
Magdalene has long been used to honor St. Mary Magdalene, the repentant sinner in the bible who was the first to see the risen Christ. Madeline/Madeleine/Madelyn are perhaps more familiar variants, but Magdalen/Magdalene/Magdalena are all getting a lot of love by today’s parents (and those of old—actress Marlene Dietrich’s first name is a contraction of her given name Marie Magdalene).
Perpetua
Perpetua honors the third-century saint, who was martyred as a young nursing mother for her faith. It also might come across as somewhat British (as in a colleague of Bridget Jones), and the current nicknames I’m hearing include Pia, Pippa, Peppa, and Poppy, which are pretty on-trend at the moment.
Zelie
Zelie is all the rage among the Catholic faithful right now, and for good reason. It’s a cute, modern-sounding name with contemporary religious significance. In October 2015 Pope Francis canonized Louis and Zélie Martin, the parents of the well-known and loved St. Therese of Lisieux. Generally said ZAY-lee or ZEL-lee, in the spelling Zaylee it has been in the US Top 1000 since 2015.
Rare Male Saint Names
Ambrose
St. Ambrose of Milan is revered as a Doctor of the Church and was the teacher of the great St. Augustine. Ambrose is also the name of the Civil War Union general Ambrose Burnside, for whom the term “sideburns” was coined! I’ve seen Abe and Brody used as nicknames, and I’ve often thought Sam and Bram could work as well.
Athanasius
Like St. Ambrose, St. Athanasius is revered as a Doctor of the Church, and his name is definitely one of the weightiest and Churchiest of the saints’ names. It can fit in easily with the playground set, however, through its nicknames—I’ve heard Ace, Ash, and Nash, which provide a nice modern hipster flare.
Joachim
Catholic tradition holds that the names of the Blessed Virgin’s parents were Joachim and Anne, and Joachim is used with some regularity across Europe and is well represented among athletes. Pronunciation issues tend to scare English-speaking American parents away (JO-ah-kim is the predominant English pronunciation), but the nicknames Joe and Jake can soften the blow. The Spanish variant Joaquín (hwah-KEEN) is fairly well known and used (as in actor Joaquín Phoenix).
Kolbe
Franciscan priest St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe offered himself in place of another who was sentenced to death in Auschwitz, and was canonized for his martyrdom. He’s a huge favorite among Catholic families, and while Maximilian gets a good deal of attention from parents (one of the more unusual Max– names), Kolbe holds its own as a regularly chosen first name.
Nicanor, Nicodemus
These Nic– names are the rarest of the rare—there were only six boys named Nicanor in 2020 and 39 named Nicodemus. But with the popularity of Nicholas and Dominic and a whole host of other names that can nickname to Nick or Nico, these two names should get more play. Nicodemus in the bible helped prepare Jesus’ body for burial; a recent St. Nicanor was a Franciscan priest martyred in 1860 in Syria.
Cool, Unique Saint Names
You can find even more stylish saintly inspiration in our full list of saint names for babies. Find a selection of our favorites below.