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I name this child…
If you’re not religious but want to mark the birth of your child in a
special way, why not hold a naming ceremony?
increasingly asking for
an alternative,
non-religious
ceremony.
Naming
ceremonies
are
appealing
because
you can
make
the
occasion
as
unique
to you
and your
family as you
want. You will
work closely with
a qualified celebrant
– the person carrying out the
ceremony – to select from the
options available and tailor a
ceremony that suits you and
your family.
Every ceremony is different,
so you can create something
that your family will remember
and treasure.
What are
naming ceremonies?
Naming ceremonies are
a chance for you to either
celebrate the birth of your own
child or to welcome adopted
and stepchildren into your
family.
Although traditional
christenings or baptisms are
still popular, people are
What are they for?
Naming ceremonies give you
the opportunity to:
• celebrate the naming of your
child/children
• express commiment, care
and love for your child in front
of family and friends
• welcome your child into the
community and introduce
them to friends and relatives
• choose mentors or
supporting adults who will
promise to help and support
your child as he or she grows
up within their community
• include grandparents in
supporting you in the raising
of their new grandchild.
Who can arrange a naming
ceremony?
Any parent, legal guardian
or person who has parental
responsibility of a child
or children can arrange a
ceremony and you don’t have to
be married to do so.
Emma and Rod, of Abingdon, decided to have a naming ceremony in the Dexter Room,
Oxford Register Office, for their son, Saul (18 months).
We don’t go to church, so we
didn’t want to have a religious
ceremony but we still wanted
to welcome Saul to the family
in some way. It was our tenyear anniversary, so we were
planning a big party (kind of
a non-wedding celebration)
with our family and friends and
decided to combine it with a
naming ceremony.
Jonathan, our registrar, gave
us plenty of guidance on the
ceremony’s content: we could
decide how formal it was going
to be, and who would say what.
We thought it would be best if
we kept our bits to a minimum
– all we had to do was say “we
will” when Jonathan read out
the vows. We also decided who
was going to do readings and
sent them in beforehand.
The ceremony itself was nice
and informal. Rod and I came
in with Saul (to music that
we’d chosen), and Jonathan
read an introduction about
the importance of names, and
some of the history of naming.
He then read the parents’ vows
and we responded.