as in first name
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Recent Examples of baptismal name
Toni is an abbreviation of her baptismal name, Anthony.
—
Literary Hub, 21 May 2026
Born with his baptismal name of Robert Francis Prevost, his papal name is more of a traditional choice — and one with a storied history.
—Rachel Raposas, People.com, 9 May 2025
Of the 266 popes in history, 129 have chosen names different from their baptismal names.
—Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 May 2025
And that then became the custom, with only a handful of popes keeping their baptismal names since, including Marcellus II and Adrian VI, who both served as head of the church in the 16th century.
—Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 4 May 2025
While popes have the option of keeping their baptismal name, every pope for the last 470 years has chosen to change his name, usually to honor a predecessor and to signal their intention to emulate his example.
—Christopher Watson, ABC News, 25 Apr. 2025
Until last year, John Henry Newman, as he is known by his baptismal name, was studying to become a priest at a Roman Catholic seminary in Yangon.
—New York Times, 30 Mar. 2022
She was given the name Sister Seraphia and later returned to her baptismal name, Carol Estelle.
—Jacques Kelly, baltimoresun.com, 22 May 2021
These homages to Athelstan continued even through the series finale, in which the monk’s son, Alfred (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo), gave the Viking’s son, Hvitserk (Marco Ilsø), the baptismal name of Athelstan in one of the show’s stirring final scenes.
—Sadie Gennis, Vulture, 11 Jan. 2021
Literary Hub, 21 May 2026
Born with his baptismal name of Robert Francis Prevost, his papal name is more of a traditional choice — and one with a storied history.
—Rachel Raposas, People.com, 9 May 2025
Of the 266 popes in history, 129 have chosen names different from their baptismal names.
—Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 May 2025
And that then became the custom, with only a handful of popes keeping their baptismal names since, including Marcellus II and Adrian VI, who both served as head of the church in the 16th century.
—Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 4 May 2025
While popes have the option of keeping their baptismal name, every pope for the last 470 years has chosen to change his name, usually to honor a predecessor and to signal their intention to emulate his example.
—Christopher Watson, ABC News, 25 Apr. 2025
Until last year, John Henry Newman, as he is known by his baptismal name, was studying to become a priest at a Roman Catholic seminary in Yangon.
—New York Times, 30 Mar. 2022
She was given the name Sister Seraphia and later returned to her baptismal name, Carol Estelle.
—Jacques Kelly, baltimoresun.com, 22 May 2021
These homages to Athelstan continued even through the series finale, in which the monk’s son, Alfred (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo), gave the Viking’s son, Hvitserk (Marco Ilsø), the baptismal name of Athelstan in one of the show’s stirring final scenes.
—Sadie Gennis, Vulture, 11 Jan. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for baptismal name
Noun
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His mother, Martha — who asked that CBS News use their first names only to protect their privacy — says the experience saved his life.—
Samantha Rappaport,
CBS News,
18 May 2026
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At one point, Sirius XM golf analysts debated on air how to pronounce the South African player’s first name.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
15 May 2026
Noun
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Digital Underground originated in Oakland, California, in 1987, founded by Shock G (given name Gregory Jacobs), Chopmaster J (Jimi Dright) and Kenny-K (Kenneth Waters), and released their first album in 1990.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
28 Apr. 2026
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The seven kittens were given names meant to honor where they were born.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
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But Coleman-Williams and his grandfather had talked about the family name and its significance many times over the years.—
David Ubben,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
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Charming, well-heeled, and dedicated to raising his daughters to honor the family name, Harris (Dallas) is a hard worker, a loyal husband, and stoic in the face of crisis.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
7 May 2026
Noun
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Their mom, though, legally dropped West and went back to her maiden name in 2022.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
22 May 2026
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Data broker profiles routinely include your mother's maiden name, previous addresses, city of birth, and other details that financial institutions still use as identity verification.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
19 May 2026
Noun
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Hakeem’s middle name is Sekou, an homage to the Guinean statesman Ahmed Sékou Touré; his brother, Hasan, who is three years younger, was given the middle name Kwame, in honor of Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of Ghana.—
Jason Zengerle,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
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What other comedian on the air would be able to, mid-interview, remind his guest that the poet Ovid actually went by his middle name?—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Baptismal name.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/baptismal%20name. Accessed 26 May. 2026.
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