At confirmation, many Catholics choose the name of a saint who will be their special patron and model in living the faith. The custom is not required (you may simply keep your baptismal name, which the Church encourages as a sign of the link between baptism and confirmation), but choosing a confirmation saint is a beautiful way to prepare: you get to know a holy person, ask their prayers, and try to imitate their virtues.
Below: how to choose a confirmation saint, a list of seventy popular saint names for boys and girls with feast days and patronages, the rules for sponsors, and a prayer to your confirmation saint.
How to choose a confirmation saint
- Pray about it. Ask the Holy Spirit, whose gifts you are about to receive, to guide you.
- Read about a few saints. Look for one whose story or virtue speaks to you, not only the name you like.
- Think about your life: your interests, your work, your struggles. There are patrons for students, athletes, musicians, those who struggle with anxiety and almost everything else; see patron saints.
- Look at your birthday or baptism day on the saint of the day calendar.
- Choose a canonized saint or the Blessed Virgin Mary, or one of the angels, rather than a fictional or Old Testament character unless your parish allows it.
- Write a short report if your parish asks: why you chose this saint and what you will imitate.
Confirmation saint names for boys
| Name | Saint | Feast day | Patron of / known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael | St. Michael the Archangel | September 29 | Protection, soldiers, police |
| Gabriel | St. Gabriel the Archangel | September 29 | Messengers, communication |
| Raphael | St. Raphael the Archangel | September 29 | Healing, travel |
| Joseph | St. Joseph | March 19 | Fathers, workers, a happy death |
| John | St. John the Apostle; St. John Bosco | December 27; January 31 | The beloved disciple; youth |
| Peter | St. Peter the Apostle | June 29 | The first pope, fishermen |
| Paul | St. Paul the Apostle | June 29 | Missionaries, writers |
| Andrew | St. Andrew | November 30 | Scotland, fishermen |
| James | St. James the Greater | July 25 | Pilgrims, Spain |
| Thomas | St. Thomas Aquinas; St. Thomas More | January 28; June 22 | Students; lawyers and politicians |
| Matthew | St. Matthew | September 21 | Accountants, bankers |
| Luke | St. Luke | October 18 | Doctors, artists |
| Mark | St. Mark | April 25 | Notaries, Venice |
| Jude | St. Jude Thaddeus | October 28 | Desperate cases |
| Stephen | St. Stephen | December 26 | The first martyr, deacons |
| Lawrence | St. Lawrence | August 10 | Cooks, librarians, the poor |
| Sebastian | St. Sebastian | January 20 | Athletes, soldiers |
| George | St. George | April 23 | Soldiers, scouts, England |
| Patrick | St. Patrick | March 17 | Ireland |
| Francis | St. Francis of Assisi; St. Francis Xavier | October 4; December 3 | Animals, ecology; missions |
| Anthony | St. Anthony of Padua | June 13 | Lost things, the poor |
| Augustine | St. Augustine | August 28 | Conversion, theologians |
| Benedict | St. Benedict | July 11 | Protection against evil, Europe |
| Dominic | St. Dominic; St. Dominic Savio | August 8; May 6 | Preachers; young people |
| Ignatius | St. Ignatius of Loyola | July 31 | Soldiers, retreats, Jesuits |
| Aloysius | St. Aloysius Gonzaga | June 21 | Youth, students |
| Maximilian | St. Maximilian Kolbe | August 14 | Prisoners, families, journalists |
| John Paul | St. John Paul II | October 22 | Young people, families, World Youth Day |
| Pier Giorgio | St. Pier Giorgio Frassati | July 4 | Young people, athletes, the poor |
| Carlo | St. Carlo Acutis | October 12 | Young people, the Eucharist, the internet |
| Martin | St. Martin de Porres; St. Martin of Tours | November 3; November 11 | Social justice; soldiers |
| Vincent | St. Vincent de Paul | September 27 | Charities, the poor |
| Isidore | St. Isidore the Farmer | May 15 | Farmers |
| Damien | St. Damien of Molokai | May 10 | The sick, outcasts |
| Charles | St. Charles Borromeo; St. Charles Lwanga | November 4; June 3 | Catechists; African youth |
Confirmation saint names for girls
| Name | Saint | Feast day | Patron of / known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mary | The Blessed Virgin Mary | many feasts | Mother of God and of the Church |
| Anne | St. Anne | July 26 | Mothers, grandmothers |
| Elizabeth | St. Elizabeth Ann Seton; St. Elizabeth of Hungary | January 4; November 17 | Catholic schools; charity |
| Thérèse | St. Thérèse of Lisieux | October 1 | Missions, the “little way” |
| Teresa | St. Teresa of Ávila; St. Teresa of Calcutta | October 15; September 5 | Prayer; the poorest of the poor |
| Catherine | St. Catherine of Siena | April 29 | Italy, Europe, nurses |
| Joan | St. Joan of Arc | May 30 | France, soldiers, courage |
| Clare | St. Clare of Assisi | August 11 | Television, poverty |
| Cecilia | St. Cecilia | November 22 | Musicians |
| Lucy | St. Lucy | December 13 | The blind, light |
| Agnes | St. Agnes | January 21 | Girls, purity |
| Agatha | St. Agatha | February 5 | Nurses, breast cancer |
| Rose | St. Rose of Lima | August 23 | The Americas, florists |
| Rita | St. Rita of Cascia | May 22 | Impossible causes |
| Monica | St. Monica | August 27 | Mothers, conversion of children |
| Bernadette | St. Bernadette Soubirous | April 16 | The sick, Lourdes |
| Faustina | St. Faustina Kowalska | October 5 | Divine Mercy |
| Kateri | St. Kateri Tekakwitha | July 14 (USA) | Native Americans, ecology |
| Gianna | St. Gianna Beretta Molla | April 28 | Mothers, doctors, the unborn |
| Maria | St. Maria Goretti | July 6 | Youth, purity, forgiveness |
| Josephine | St. Josephine Bakhita | February 8 | Victims of trafficking, Sudan |
| Bridget | St. Bridget of Sweden | July 23 | Europe, widows |
| Brigid | St. Brigid of Kildare | February 1 | Ireland, dairy workers |
| Margaret | St. Margaret of Scotland; St. Margaret Mary | November 16; October 16 | Queens, families; the Sacred Heart |
| Frances | St. Frances Xavier Cabrini | November 13 | Immigrants |
| Gemma | St. Gemma Galgani | April 11 | Students, those with back pain |
| Hildegard | St. Hildegard of Bingen | September 17 | Musicians, scientists |
| Scholastica | St. Scholastica | February 10 | Nuns, students |
| Edith | St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) | August 9 | Europe, converts |
| Philomena | St. Philomena | August 11 | Youth, impossible cases |
| Zélie | St. Zélie Martin | July 12 | Mothers, married couples |
| Veronica | St. Veronica | July 12 | Photographers (by tradition) |
| Martha | St. Martha | July 29 | Homemakers, servers |
| Faith | St. Faith (Foy) | October 6 | Pilgrims |
| Julia | St. Julia of Corsica | May 22 | Martyrs, Corsica |
Rules about confirmation names and sponsors
- The name: it should be the name of a saint; the Rite of Confirmation allows confirmands to use their baptismal name, which the Church recommends as a sign of unity between the two sacraments.
- The sponsor must meet the same requirements as a baptismal godparent: at least 16, a confirmed Catholic who has received the Eucharist and leads a life of faith, and not a parent (canon 893). Your baptismal godparent is the ideal choice.
- The legal name does not change; the confirmation name is recorded in the parish register.
A prayer to your confirmation saint
Written for this page:
St. (name), I have chosen you as my patron at confirmation.
Pray for me as I receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Help me to follow Jesus as you did,
to grow in courage, purity and love,
and to be a faithful witness to Christ all my life. Amen.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to choose a new name for confirmation?
No. You may keep your baptismal name. Choosing a saint’s name is a custom, not a requirement.
Can I choose a saint of the opposite sex?
Many parishes allow it (for example, a girl choosing St. Francis or a boy choosing St. Thérèse); ask your parish’s practice.
Can my confirmation saint be someone who is not canonized?
Normally choose a canonized saint, a blessed, the Virgin Mary or an angel. Ask your catechist about others.
More guides
- The gifts of the Holy Spirit
- The seven sacraments
- Patron saints: the complete list
- Saint of the day
- Novena to the Holy Spirit
Sources
- Code of Canon Law, canons 855 (names) and 893 (confirmation sponsors).
- Order of Confirmation (introduction, on sponsors and names).
- Feast days follow the General Roman Calendar, the Proper Calendar for the Dioceses of the United States and the Roman Martyrology.
- The prayer was written for this page.