This was done as a religious talisman and also as a life-long reminder of the careers of these successful Christians. In some countries people celebrated the feast days of their name saints in lieu of their ‘birth’ days.
Despite reformation and secularism, it is a sign of the ongoing English respect for Christian tradition that the country’s most popular baby names in 2012 still derive from these Catholic sources. It may be a sign that most of us don’t know history that ‘Oliver’ -- the third most popular name for boys -- is the name of the last Catholic martyr in England (see chart).
Interestingly, the other five of the six top baby names in England are foreign – French, Spanish, Belgian, German and Jewish – saints. Perhaps this is another cultural clue, harkening back to a time when England was part of an international Catholic civilization?
So, here’s the full Catholic treatment for the top six baby names in England in 2012:
2012 Popular Baby Name*
BOYS
1.
Emperor from 1014-1024,
the only German monarch
ever to be canonized.
2.
more than 70 saints by this
name, derived from John the
Baptist (Jesus’s cousin, depicted
right, by El Greco) or John the
Evangelist, one of the four
Gospel writers.
3.
of Ireland. On 1 July 1681
(aged 51), Plunkett became the
last Roman Catholic martyr to
die in England when he was hanged,
drawn and quartered at Tyburn.
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