If you are received by chrismation, yes. At St. Michael, if you were baptized in another Christian tradition by immersion in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, you may be received into the Orthodox Church by chrismation rather than baptism, and that means you keep your baptismal name. If you were not baptized by immersion in the name of the Holy Trinity, you will be baptized. The bishop and the priest decide each case.
The Church has received converts baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity through chrismation since ancient times. When you are received that way, we’re not re-baptizing you. We’re completing what was begun in your baptism by sealing you with the gift of the Holy Spirit and bringing you into the fullness of the Church. Your baptismal name comes with you.
Now, there’s a caveat. If your name isn’t a saint’s name, your priest might suggest choosing one. Say you’re named Madison or Hunter, perfectly good names, but not in the Church calendar. In that case you’d choose a patron saint whose name you’ll use liturgically. You don’t have to change your legal name or what your family calls you. Most adult converts don’t. But you’ll have a Christian name for church life, for receiving communion, for when the priest commemorates you at the altar.
When You Get a New Name
If you’re received by baptism, that’s different. Some people come to Orthodoxy without any prior baptism. Others were baptized in traditions that don’t use the Trinitarian formula, Oneness Pentecostals, for instance, or Unitarians, or were baptized by sprinkling or pouring rather than immersion. In those cases, St. Michael’s practice is to baptize. And at your baptism you’ll receive an Orthodox baptismal name, the name of a saint who becomes your patron. That’s the name you’ll carry in the Church.
The decision about whether you’re received by baptism or chrismation isn’t arbitrary. It’s a canonical and pastoral determination your priest makes with the bishop. There are borderline cases, baptisms that are irregular or questionable, and those require discernment. What matters is whether you were baptized by immersion in the name of the Holy Trinity, not which church baptized you.
Choosing Your Patron Saint
Whether you keep your baptismal name or choose a new one, you’ll have a patron saint. This matters more than you might think at first. Your patron isn’t just a name. He or she is a friend, an intercessor, someone who’s walked the path of faith before you and now prays for you. You’ll celebrate your name day, the feast of your patron saint, every year. In Orthodox cultures, name days often matter more than birthdays.
Talk to your priest about this early in your catechumenate. If your name is already a saint’s name, John, Mary, Nicholas, Catherine, you might simply keep it and learn about your patron. If it’s not, you get to choose. Some people pick a saint whose story moves them. Others choose a saint whose feast day is near their birthday or their chrismation date. Reading about saints, praying about it, and not overthinking it all help. The saint chooses you as much as you choose the saint.
What Happens Practically
When you’re received by chrismation, the service doesn’t include a naming ceremony the way baptism does. You’re already baptized. You already have a name. The priest will anoint you with holy chrism on your forehead, eyes, nostrils, mouth, ears, chest, hands, and feet, saying “the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit” each time. Then you’ll receive communion for the first time as an Orthodox Christian. Your name, whether it’s the one you were baptized with or a new Christian name you’ve chosen, is the name you’ll give when you approach the chalice.
Don’t stress about this too much. It’s not a test. Your priest will walk you through it. The important thing isn’t whether you end up being called by the name your mama gave you or by St. Innocent of Alaska’s name. The important thing is that you’re being grafted into the Body of Christ, joining the communion of saints, becoming part of something that stretches back to Pentecost and forward to the Kingdom. Your patron saint will be there with you, praying for you, whether you share a name from birth or chose one last month.
