Confirmation Saint Names: How to Choose, With 70+ Saints for Girls and Boys

1. Do You Have to Choose a Confirmation Name?

No. The Rite of Confirmation does not require a new name. The bishop anoints you with chrism and says, "N., be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit," and "N." can be your baptismal name. Some dioceses now encourage candidates to keep their baptismal name, because Baptism and Confirmation are two sacraments of the same initiation, and using the same name shows that link. Taking a saint's name at Confirmation is an old custom, at least several centuries old, and most parishes still welcome it.

So you have two good options:

• Keep your baptismal name. If you were named for a saint (Mary, John, Teresa, Joseph), you already have a patron. Get to know them properly this year.
• Choose a saint's name. Pick a saint you admire and need, adopt them as your patron, and use their name on the day.

Ask your parish which it prefers, then follow it without fuss. Both paths lead to the same place: a real friendship with a saint who will pray for you for the rest of your life. Our guide to Confirmation covers the sacrament itself; this page is about choosing your saint well.

Here is the hard thing. Most teens pick a Confirmation name in ten minutes because it sounds nice or a friend picked it. Then they never think about that saint again. That wastes a gift. The saint you choose will not forget you. Choose someone you will not forget either.

2. How to Choose a Confirmation Saint, Step by Step

Choose a Confirmation saint by praying first, reading real lives, and picking the one who challenges you most, then committing to pray to them. Here is a plan you can finish in two weeks.

1. Pray before you browse. Ask the Holy Spirit, whose gifts you are about to receive, to lead you to the right saint. "Come, Holy Spirit, show me the friend you want me to have." Say it every night.
2. Start with what you love. Sport, music, science, animals, nursing, gaming, writing. A saint shared your passion. See the patrons by interest below.
3. Then look at what you struggle with. Anxiety, anger, purity, grief, loneliness, doubt. A saint fought that battle and won. See saints for a struggle below.
4. Shortlist three. Read a real biography of each, not one paragraph. Look for one thing in their life that makes you uncomfortable in a good way.
5. Choose the one who asks the most of you. Your saint should pull you up. Easy and comfortable is the wrong test.
6. Talk to your sponsor. Tell them why. A sponsor who knows your saint can pray with you.
7. Learn their feast day and one prayer. Put the feast in your calendar now.

Choose a saint you can talk to when life gets hard, because it will. A name picked because it sounds cool, because your best friend chose it, or because it is your crush's name rarely becomes a friendship.

3. Find Your Saint With Our Free Tools

If you do not know where to begin, use these two free tools tonight, then come back to the lists below.

• Which Saint Are You? Answer three questions and get matched with one of eight great saints, from Thérèse of Lisieux and Joan of Arc to Thomas Aquinas and Maximilian Kolbe. A fast way to see which kind of holiness draws you.
• Patron saint by birthday: enter your birthday and see the saint whose feast falls on it in the General Roman Calendar, with a short reflection. Some people take the saint of their birthday as their Confirmation patron; it is a beautiful way to let God choose.

Then read our guide on saints and how to pray to them, so you understand what you are asking when you take a patron. Saints are friends in heaven who pray for us; Catholics honour them and ask their prayers, and worship God alone.

4. Confirmation Saint Names for Girls

Here are 39 women saints and blesseds, each with one reason to choose her. "Canonized" gives the year she was declared a saint. "Early saint" means she was honoured as a saint before the formal canonization process existed. "Blessed" means beatified, the step before canonization. Anyone may choose any saint; boys can choose women saints too.

• Mary (the Mother of God, Queen of all saints): for anyone who wants to say yes to God completely. See the Virgin Mary.
• St. Thérèse of Lisieux (canonized 1925): her "little way" makes holiness possible in ordinary days. See St. Thérèse.
• St. Joan of Arc (canonized 1920): a teenage girl who obeyed God in front of armies and judges. See St. Joan of Arc.
• St. Catherine of Siena (canonized 1461): told popes the truth to their faces. For bold girls. See St. Catherine of Siena.
• St. Teresa of Ávila (canonized 1622): a Doctor of the Church with a sense of humour and a fierce prayer life. See St. Teresa of Ávila.
• St. Clare of Assisi (canonized 1255): left wealth behind at 18 to follow Christ in poverty. See St. Clare.
• St. Agnes (early saint): a young Roman martyr, patron of purity and of girls. See St. Agnes.
• St. Cecilia (early saint): patron of musicians, who sang to God in her heart. See St. Cecilia.
• St. Lucy (early saint): her name means light; patron of those with eye trouble. See St. Lucy.
• St. Agatha (early saint): a Sicilian martyr who refused to be bought or broken. See St. Agatha.
• St. Monica (early saint): prayed for years for her son Augustine and saw him become a saint. See St. Monica.
• St. Anne (early saint): grandmother of Jesus, for girls close to their grandparents.
• St. Mary Magdalene (early saint): the first witness of the Resurrection, called "apostle to the apostles".
• Sts. Perpetua and Felicity (early saints): a noblewoman and an enslaved woman, martyred side by side. Choose either name. See Sts. Perpetua and Felicity.
• St. Scholastica (early saint): St. Benedict's twin sister, whose prayer even outlasted his schedule.
• St. Brigid of Kildare (early saint): a generous Irish abbess, patron of Ireland alongside Patrick.
• St. Rita of Cascia (canonized 1900): survived a violent marriage, forgave, and is patron of impossible causes. See St. Rita.
• St. Faustina Kowalska (canonized 2000): the messenger of Divine Mercy. See St. Faustina.
• St. Gianna Beretta Molla (canonized 2004): a doctor, wife and mother who gave her life for her unborn child. See St. Gianna.
• St. Kateri Tekakwitha (canonized 2012): a Mohawk woman who kept her faith through rejection. See St. Kateri.
• St. Bernadette Soubirous (canonized 1933): a poor, sickly girl who saw Our Lady at Lourdes and stayed humble.
• St. Maria Goretti (canonized 1950): died at 11 defending her purity and forgave her attacker.
• St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (canonized 1975): widow, convert, mother and founder of Catholic schools in America. See St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.
• St. Teresa of Calcutta (canonized 2016): served the dying poor while walking through years of inner darkness. See St. Teresa of Calcutta.
• St. Josephine Bakhita (canonized 2000): kidnapped and enslaved as a child, she became a joyful religious sister.
• St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) (canonized 1998): a Jewish philosopher who found Christ and died at Auschwitz. See St. Edith Stein.
• St. Bridget of Sweden (canonized 1391): mother of eight, mystic and patron of Europe. See St. Bridget.
• St. Hildegard of Bingen (canonized 2012): composer, scientist and Doctor of the Church. See St. Hildegard.
• St. Gemma Galgani (canonized 1940): suffered illness and loss young and loved Jesus through it.
• St. Zélie Martin (canonized 2015): a businesswoman and mother of St. Thérèse. See St. Zélie.
• St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (canonized 1946): crossed the ocean to serve immigrants, patron of immigrants.
• St. Katharine Drexel (canonized 2000): an heiress who gave her fortune to educate Black and Native American children. See St. Katharine Drexel.
• St. Elizabeth of Hungary (canonized 1235): a princess who fed the poor with her own hands. See St. Elizabeth.
• St. Margaret of Scotland (canonized 1250): a queen who prayed, served the poor and raised a holy family.
• St. Rose of Lima (canonized 1671): the first canonized saint of the Americas. See St. Rose of Lima.
• St. Mary MacKillop (canonized 2010): Australia's first saint, founded schools for the poor.
• St. Catherine Labouré (canonized 1947): received the Miraculous Medal and then lived 46 hidden years.
• St. Teresa of the Andes (canonized 1993): a lively Chilean teenager who loved horses and swimming and became a Carmelite.
• Blessed Chiara Badano (beatified 2010): an Italian teenager who died of bone cancer at 18 with radiant joy.

5. Confirmation Saint Names for Boys

Here are 40 men saints and blesseds, each with one reason to choose him. The same labels apply: "canonized" with the year, "early saint" for saints honoured before formal canonization, and "Blessed" for beatified.

• St. Michael the Archangel (archangel, honoured from Scripture): the warrior who defends God's people. See St. Michael.
• St. Joseph (early saint, from Scripture): the silent, strong protector of Jesus and Mary. See St. Joseph.
• St. Peter (early saint, apostle): failed loudly, came back, and led the Church. See St. Peter.
• St. Paul (early saint, apostle): from persecutor to the greatest missionary. See St. Paul.
• St. John the Apostle (early saint): the beloved disciple who stayed at the cross. See St. John.
• St. Stephen (early saint): the first martyr, who forgave his killers (Acts 7).
• St. Lawrence (early saint): a deacon who served the poor and joked as he was martyred, patron of cooks.
• St. Sebastian (early saint): a soldier martyr, patron of athletes.
• St. George (early saint): soldier martyr and dragon-slayer of legend, for courage. See St. George.
• St. Patrick (early saint): kidnapped as a teen, he returned to evangelise his captors. See St. Patrick.
• St. Augustine (early saint): a brilliant young man who lived wild and then gave everything to God. See St. Augustine.
• St. Benedict (early saint): father of Western monks, for anyone who needs order and prayer in life. See St. Benedict.
• St. Francis of Assisi (canonized 1228): gave up wealth, loved creation and the poor. See St. Francis.
• St. Anthony of Padua (canonized 1232): a powerful preacher, patron of lost things. See St. Anthony.
• St. Thomas Aquinas (canonized 1323): the greatest theologian, patron of students. See St. Thomas Aquinas.
• St. Louis IX (canonized 1297): a king who served the poor at his own table. See St. Louis.
• St. Ignatius of Loyola (canonized 1622): a soldier who became a saint while recovering from a cannonball wound. See St. Ignatius.
• St. Francis Xavier (canonized 1622): a missionary who carried the Gospel to India and Japan.
• St. Philip Neri (canonized 1622): the joyful saint of Rome who used humour to win souls. See St. Philip Neri.
• St. Isidore the Farmer (canonized 1622): a farm labourer who never missed morning Mass.
• St. Francis de Sales (canonized 1665): conquered a hot temper and became the gentlest of bishops. See St. Francis de Sales.
• St. Aloysius Gonzaga (canonized 1726): gave up a title, nursed plague victims and died at 23.
• St. Stanislaus Kostka (canonized 1726): walked hundreds of miles as a teen to become a Jesuit.
• St. John Vianney (canonized 1925): struggled with his studies, then became the great confessor of France.
• St. Albert the Great (canonized 1931): scientist, philosopher and teacher of Aquinas.
• St. John Bosco (canonized 1934): rescued street boys with sport, music and faith. See St. John Bosco.
• St. Thomas More (canonized 1935): a lawyer who chose death over a lie. See St. Thomas More.
• St. Dominic Savio (canonized 1954): a teenager who said "death rather than sin" and meant it. See St. Dominic Savio.
• St. Martin de Porres (canonized 1962): mocked for his mixed race, he served everyone with joy. See St. Martin de Porres.
• St. Charles Lwanga (canonized 1964): led young Ugandan Christians to martyrdom rather than abuse.
• St. Maximilian Kolbe (canonized 1982): took another man's place in an Auschwitz starvation cell. See St. Maximilian Kolbe.
• St. Andrew Kim Taegon (canonized 1984): Korea's first native priest, martyred at 25.
• St. Juan Diego (canonized 2002): the humble man who received the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. See St. Juan Diego.
• St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio) (canonized 2002): a confessor and mystic, for anyone who worries. See Padre Pio.
• St. Damien of Molokai (canonized 2009): lived and died among people with leprosy. See St. Damien.
• St. John Paul II (canonized 2014): actor, athlete, philosopher and pope who told young people to be not afraid. See St. John Paul II.
• St. José Sánchez del Río (canonized 2016): a 14-year-old Mexican martyr who would not deny Christ.
• St. Pier Giorgio Frassati (canonized 2025): a mountaineer who loved his friends and served the poor in secret. See St. Pier Giorgio Frassati.
• St. Carlo Acutis (canonized 2025): a teenage coder who built a website on Eucharistic miracles. See St. Carlo Acutis.
• Blessed Michael McGivney (beatified 2020): a parish priest who founded the Knights of Columbus to protect families.

Also consider the other archangels, St. Gabriel (messenger) and St. Raphael (healer and guide), and St. Jude, patron of desperate causes.

6. Patron Saints by Interest: Sports, Music, Science, Nursing and More

Choosing a patron who shared your passion is one of the best ways to start. Some of these patronages were declared by popes; most are long-standing tradition. Both are fine for a Confirmation name.

Sports and athletes

• St. Sebastian (early saint): the traditional patron of athletes, a soldier with the endurance of a martyr.
• St. Pier Giorgio Frassati (canonized 2025): a climber and skier who wrote "Verso l'alto", "to the heights".
• St. John Paul II (canonized 2014): skier, kayaker, hiker and goalkeeper in his youth.
• St. Teresa of the Andes (canonized 1993): a horse rider and swimmer.

Music

• St. Cecilia (early saint): patron of musicians and singers.
• St. Gregory the Great (early saint): the chant of the Latin Church bears his name. See St. Gregory.
• St. Hildegard of Bingen (canonized 2012): one of the earliest named composers whose music survives.

Science and maths

• St. Albert the Great (canonized 1931): named patron of natural scientists by Pius XII.
• Blessed Nicolas Steno (beatified 1988): a pioneer of geology and anatomy who became a bishop.
• St. Hildegard of Bingen: wrote on medicine and the natural world.

Nursing and medicine

• St. Camillus de Lellis (canonized 1746) and St. John of God (canonized 1690): named patrons of hospitals, the sick and nurses.
• St. Marianne Cope (canonized 2012): a nursing sister who cared for people with leprosy on Molokai.
• St. Luke (early saint): "the beloved physician" (Colossians 4:14).
• St. Gianna Beretta Molla (canonized 2004) and St. Giuseppe Moscati (canonized 1987): two modern Italian doctors.

More passions

• Art: Blessed Fra Angelico (beatified 1982), named patron of artists by John Paul II.
• Writing: St. Francis de Sales, patron of writers and journalists.
• Coding and the internet: St. Carlo Acutis, who built websites to spread the faith (popular devotion; no official patronage yet).
• Animals and nature: St. Francis of Assisi, named patron of ecology by John Paul II, and St. Kateri Tekakwitha.
• Teaching: St. John Baptist de La Salle (canonized 1900), patron of teachers.
• Law and politics: St. Thomas More, patron of statesmen and politicians.
• Military and police: St. Michael the Archangel; St. Joan of Arc for soldiers.
• Cooking: St. Lawrence.
• Farming: St. Isidore the Farmer.
• Travel: St. Christopher. See St. Christopher.

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7. Saints for a Struggle

The bravest way to choose a Confirmation saint is to name your hardest battle and find a saint who fought it. These saints were flesh and blood: anxious, angry, sick, grieving and tempted, and grace carried them.

• Anxiety and worry: St. Padre Pio, whose advice is remembered as "Pray, hope and don't worry"; St. Thérèse, who battled scruples and fear.
• Depression and mental illness: St. Dymphna (early saint), patron of those with mental illness; St. Teresa of Calcutta, who served faithfully through decades of inner darkness.
• Purity and lust: St. Augustine, St. Maria Goretti, St. Aloysius Gonzaga, and St. Thomas Aquinas, patron of the Angelic Warfare Confraternity. Read our guide to fighting lust.
• Addiction: St. Maximilian Kolbe is often invoked by people fighting drug addiction. Venerable Matt Talbot, a Dublin labourer who got sober through prayer, is not yet beatified, so ask your parish before using his name.
• Anger: St. Francis de Sales, who worked for years on his temper; St. Jerome, famous for his sharp tongue and his repentance. See St. Jerome.
• Grief and loss: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, who buried her husband and two daughters; St. Zélie Martin, who lost four children.
• A broken or violent home: St. Rita of Cascia; St. Helena, set aside by her husband.
• Illness and disability: St. Bernadette; St. Margaret of Castello (canonized 2021), born with disabilities and abandoned by her parents; Blessed Chiara Badano.
• Bullying and rejection: St. Martin de Porres; St. Kateri Tekakwitha; St. Josephine Bakhita, patron of survivors of human trafficking.
• Doubt: St. Thomas the Apostle, who said "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28).
• Exams and study: St. Joseph of Cupertino (canonized 1767), who struggled at school and is invoked by students facing exams.
• Scruples: St. Alphonsus Liguori, see St. Alphonsus; St. Ignatius of Loyola. See our guide to scrupulosity.
• Desperate situations: St. Jude and St. Rita.

Choosing a saint for your struggle is wise. It is never a replacement for real help. If you are battling anxiety, depression or an addiction, talk to a parent, your doctor or a counsellor, and keep taking any treatment you are on. Struggling with these is no sign of weak faith. Our guides to anxiety and depression can help.

8. Can a Girl Choose a Male Saint, or a Boy a Female Saint?

Yes. There is no rule that your Confirmation saint must be the same sex as you, and Catholics have long chosen patrons across that line. Many girls choose St. Francis or St. Anthony, and many boys choose Mary or St. Thérèse. The novelist Toni Morrison, born Chloe Wofford, chose St. Anthony of Padua when she became Catholic at 12 and later went by "Toni" in his honour.

Some parishes and families prefer a name that fits, or use a feminine or masculine form (Josephine for Joseph, Francesca for Francis, Teresa or Thomas). Ask your parish if you are unsure, then choose the saint you need.

9. Names to Check Before You Choose

Choose a canonized saint or a Blessed, and check the person is who you think they are. A few common mix-ups:

• Venerable and Servant of God are earlier steps. People with these titles may be holy, but the Church has not yet beatified them. Many parishes ask for a saint or Blessed; ask before choosing one.
• Old Testament figures are honoured by the Church. Abraham, Moses, Elijah, David and others appear in the Roman Martyrology, so names like Elijah or David are fine. See Elijah and David.
• Two saints, one name. There are several St. Catherines, St. Johns and St. Teresas. Know which one you mean and learn that saint's feast day.
• Virtue names such as Faith, Hope, Grace or Charity are not saints' names in themselves. Pair them with a real patron if you love them.
• Celebrities and fictional characters are not saints, however much you admire them.

For how the Church declares someone a saint, from Servant of God to canonization, read our guide to saints and canonization.

10. What Happens With Your Name on Confirmation Day?

On Confirmation day, your sponsor places a hand on your shoulder and gives your name to the bishop, or you say it yourself. The bishop dips his thumb in chrism, traces a cross on your forehead and says, "[Your name], be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit." You answer, "Amen." The bishop says, "Peace be with you," and you answer, "And with your spirit."

That is the moment your saint's name is spoken over you in the sacrament. The parish records your Confirmation, and it is noted on your baptismal record. Your legal name does not change, and you do not need to use the name afterwards, though many people keep it as a middle name in their heart and in their prayers.

Prepare with your saint. In the nine days before Confirmation, pray a short novena asking your saint's prayers and the Holy Spirit's gifts. If you do not have one, write one with the free prayer generator.

11. How to Live With Your Saint After Confirmation

Your saint is a friend for life. Friends talk. Here is how to keep the friendship alive after the photos are posted.

1. Pray to them daily. One line: "St. ___, pray for me." Before tests, games, hard conversations and sleep.
2. Celebrate their feast day. Go to Mass if you can, have a good dinner, and read something about them.
3. Read one full biography this year, and their own writings if they left any.
4. Keep their image near you. A holy card in your wallet or phone case, a medal, a picture by your bed.
5. Copy one habit. Frassati gave to the poor in secret; Carlo went to daily Mass; Thérèse offered small sacrifices with love. Pick one and do it.
6. Visit if you can. Many saints have shrines, churches or relics you can visit on a pilgrimage.

Keep the habit going after Confirmation day. Pro's audio devotionals and guided prayers take minutes, work offline and come with a circle of believers who pray with you. Get Pro for $49 once, lifetime access, 30-day money-back guarantee.

12. For Parents and Sponsors: Helping a Teen Choose

Help a teen choose a Confirmation saint by asking questions instead of handing them a name. What do you love? What are you afraid of? Who do you want to become? Then sit with them while they read.

• Share your own saint. Tell them who you chose and why, or admit you chose badly and what you would choose now.
• Do the quiz together. The saint match quiz takes two minutes and starts a good conversation.
• Let them own it. A saint chosen by a parent rarely becomes a friend. Guide, then step back.
• Give a gift tied to the saint: a medal, a biography, a holy card for their phone case.
• Mark the feast day every year as a family.

Sponsors carry a real responsibility to help the confirmed live as witnesses of Christ (canon 892). See our guide to godparent and sponsor requirements. Adults becoming Catholic also choose a Confirmation saint at the Easter Vigil; if that is you, read how to become Catholic.