Ignatius

[DaisyJoy1]

Looking for a saint name for next baby! For a girl we have picked Helena and Marina, (we love both, have already posted a thread about this and got lovely feedback, so decided if baby is a girl just to see which names she suits most and save the other name for a potential future daughter!)

For a boy, my husband has decided he loves Ignatius. Which was unexpected! It was suggested on another thread where I asked about saints names for boys and he took a liking to it.

Other names that were suggested that we liked were Moses, Cassian, Fabian.

Was wondering what everyone's thoughts are on Ignatius? Does it seem OTT - is it a bit Jacob Rees Mogg? (DH isn't British and doesn't see any issue with the name, but I feel British people might feel differently. While we don't live in the UK, we still have family there and will be returning every so often, children will be British citizens so British opinions on the name are definitely important!)

He likes nickname Iggy which I feel is the only natural shortening anyway.

It sounds like a small dinosaur

Like it a lot. Kids are far less judgmental about names than our generation so I don’t think you’d need to worry about Rees Mogg connotations etc! My theory is they’re open minded because they’re more used to more international names thanks to more diversity in music and football. Iggy and Nate are strong nicknames too

Obviously you won’t want to tell us your name but I do wonder if it is quite as uniquely Catholic as Ignatius, which is certainly a step beyond Mary / Maria, for example.

Of course, if you’re telling us that your name is Assumpta or Magdalena and no-one notices its Catholicism then I will stand corrected.

OP, Ignatius is a great name and I think you’ve had a thorough explanation of its connotations in the UK!

I like it! Then again I'm a practicing Catholic. I've literally never met an Ignatius.

I also like Fabian, Francis or Benedict for slightly unusual saints names with great nicknames.

Cannot go wrong with Nate.

Nathaniel is a great name too. He gets one of the few comic lines in the Bible.

Ooh have you considered Ambrose?

I know a Spanish Ignacio, nn Nacho, which I like. It might be a but, well, bold here, UK.

I'm Irish and didn't even realize Ignatius was a Catholic name. I've never met one, but it's a nice name with good nickname potential.

It's funny the impression names give in different languages. In Spain, Ignacio (Nacho) is completely normal.

I would never make the Catholic connection.
I do however just think 'ignoramus' whenever I hear it.

Definitely makes me think of an Irish monk- Brother Ignatius. I live in N.ireland and can't imagine any young Catholics here would give their children that name. Would have been fairrly common 60 or 70 years ago. Patrick on the other hand is a lovely saints name.

I should have said this at the beginning, but we are Catholic!

I prefer the Spanish version Ignacio which is more common there and gets the nickname Nacho, though I can’t see that carrying over here.

Only if he were primarily called Iggy or Nate.

I would tell you but obviously it’s quite outing! It’s somewhere between the two, I would say - much less common that Mary/Maria, but not quite as ‘unusual’ as Assumpta 😆 its definitely a name which, whenever somebody comments on it, says it makes them think of a RC nun.

I love Patrick but very sadly had a relative called Patrick die very young, so think it would be too emotive for my family to use. I also like Ambrose.

Does everyone prefer Ignacio? As that could work. We double barrelled our surname but one of the names is a fairly common Spanish/Portuguese name so would fit with surname too

It's one of the most Catholic names you could pick, as Ignatius Loyola was not a Biblical-era saint but the founder of the Jesuits, the Pope's theological elite. That might not be a problem at all but it's the only association I have with the name! The thread reveals that I'm in a small minority.

Point of pedantry:
Ignatius Loyola was christened Iñigo. A spelling best avoided.
OP Ignacio is okay I think.
I like Ennio, not sure if it is a related name or something completely different.

I would recommend Ignatius because I really can't see Ignacio being pronounced correctly by non-Spanish speakers. TBH I'm surprised people are recommending it.

Thanks for all the comments everyone!

Is being a Catholic viewed negatively in some parts of the UK? I’m confused by some of the Catholic comments… I was born and raised in the SE and never had any whiff of anti-Catholic feeling so I’m a little confused that some posters are saying it’s maybe negative to have an openly Catholic name? We are practicing Catholics so it’s not really something we hide. Maybe it’s a regional thing? Was interested to read what someone up-thread said about Liverpool having some anti Catholic feeling as I had no idea about this, but then I’ve never been.

Ennio is nice too. Off I go to Google it!

You cannot possibly have been born and raised in the UK without being aware of the long history of sectarianism in Northern Ireland, surely? Yes, as explained upthread there are parts of the UK where there are still sectarian tensions. SE England is not generally one of them but we are talking about a country where everyone gets together on the 5th November to burn effigies of a Catholic rebel.

I don't see the Catholic 'thing' being an issue for you. You didn't say that you were Catholic initially but you did ask for UK perspectives on the name, which is why so many posters told you of this connotation. It's a perfectly appropriate name for practising Catholics.

Hell No. Only because I dislike the shortened version (iggy).

Ignatius, that name is fire.
Remember an Ignatius from geography class about igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks.

SE England is not generally one of them

Just don't go to Lewes on Bonfire Night. They have a massive NO POPERY banner and blow up an effigy of the pope (amongst others) every year.

It’s all just a bit of fun, I can’t imagine a bonfire night turning into sectarian carnage.

Wow, didn't know that.

That would have me rooting out an Edmund Campion costume.

Have you been?! The bonfire societies wouldn’t thank you for that evaluation! They take it very seriously and it is very political. Historically it commemorates the Protestant Lewes Martyrs. These days the imagery is mostly symbolic but it is pretty striking nevertheless. Last year they burned effigies of Matt Hancock and Dominic Cummings.