Naming in Christian families in India

India's Christians belong to many churches, from the old Syrian Christian communities of Kerala to the Catholic communities of Goa and Mangalore and Protestant churches across the country. Naming customs differ between them and between families, but for many the name is closely tied to baptism.

Baptism and the Christian name

In the Catholic Church the name is formally given at baptism. Church law requires parents to see that infants are baptised within the first few weeks of life, and asks parents, godparents and the priest to make sure the child is not given a name "foreign to Christian sensibility". The Catechism explains that the name may be that of a saint, a disciple whose life is a model of faith, or may express a Christian mystery or virtue.

Godparents have a defined role. Canon law provides for one godparent, or two of different sexes, who should normally be at least sixteen, a confirmed Catholic who has received the Eucharist, and not the child's father or mother. The baptism is then entered in the parish's baptismal register with the child's name, parents and godparents, and the dates and places of birth and baptism.

In the Eastern rites, the Catechism notes, an infant's baptism is followed immediately by confirmation (chrismation) and first Communion, although practice differs between churches in India. Baptist churches, by contrast, baptise only believers who can profess their own faith, so in Baptist families a baby's name is not tied to a baptism.

Kerala

Kerala Tourism's account of Christian customs in the state describes several older patterns. Baptism took place within eight days of birth, and naming was an important part of it. The first son was given the name of his paternal grandfather and the first daughter that of her paternal grandmother, and biblical names helped mark a family as part of the community. A girl's father's name was added to hers at baptism and replaced by her husband's name after marriage.

Among Syrian Christians, many biblical names changed over the centuries into distinct local forms. The same account gives Punnan for Peter, Ulahannan for John, Koshy for Joshua, Pylee for Paul, Tharian for Zachariah and Chandy for Alexander. It also records Noolukettu, the custom of tying a black thread around the baby's waist on the 28th day, followed by gifts of gold and silver ornaments.

Goa and elsewhere

Goa was a Portuguese colony for about 450 years, from 1510 until India took control in December 1961, and many of its Catholic families carry that history in their names. Portuguese surnames such as Fernandes, Rodrigues, Gomes, Costa and Carvalho are common among Goan Catholics, and similar surnames are found among Mangalorean Catholics and the East Indian Catholics of Mumbai. Portuguese given names such as António, João, Maria and Ana remain common in families that keep Portuguese culture, and Konkani has its own familiar forms, such as Joki for Joaquim and Lorso for Lourenço. Names such as Sandeep, Rahul and Anita are now given too, as are English and other European names.

Across India, then, a Christian child may carry a saint's name, a name passed down from a grandparent, a local form of a biblical name, a name in the family's own language, or a mix of these. If you want to follow a particular custom, your parish priest or pastor can tell you what your church expects at baptism.

Sources

Checked 25 Oct 2026. Families and communities differ; this guide describes common practice.