Baptismal names for children born on December 31

Boys' names from this day

Girls' names from this day

From the eighth day, January 7

All the saints of December 31

• Saint Theophylact of OhridByzantine archbishop of Ohrid and commentator on the Holy Scriptures.
• MASaint Marius of AvenchesBishop of Avenches from 574, remembered for his terse chronicle, who died at Lausanne in 596.
• Venerable Melania the YoungerRoman ascetic, granddaughter of Melania the Elder, who lived in Jerusalem and died in 439.
• Martyr Columba of SensVirgin from Spain who fled to Gaul to avoid being denounced as a Christian, martyred at Sens in 273.
• Confessor Dositej VasićFirst Serbian Metropolitan of Zagreb, a victim of Ustasha persecution during the Second World War.
• SSVenerable Sabiana of SamtskheGeorgian nun of the 10th and 11th centuries who led a monastery in the region of Samtskhe.
• GNVenerable Gelasius of NilopolisAn Egyptian abbot of the 5th century and one of the Desert Fathers, at Nilopolis.
• HBSaint Hermes of BononiaExorcist of the Church of Bononia, today Vidin, venerated by the Orthodox and Catholic Churches.
• MBHieromartyr Michael BerezinPriest born in 1889 at Maloye Karachkino, who died a martyr in 1938; since 2002 in the Synaxis of the New Martyrs.
• Venerable Barbatian of RavennaA priest venerated at Ravenna in Italy, who reposed around 500.
• CBVenerable Cyriacus of BisericaniRomanian venerable monk of Bisericani Monastery in Moldavia.
• CTVenerable Cyriacus of TazlauRomanian venerable monk of Tazlău Monastery in Moldavia.
• DRMartyr Dominanda of RomeMartyr of Rome, remembered in the early martyrologies.
• DCHoly Martyrs Donata and CompanionsMartyrs of Italy.
• DRMartyr Donata of RomeA saint honored at Rome in the age of the undivided Church.
• ECSaint Enda of Cill na ManachA saint of Cill na Manach, commemorated in the Irish calendar; very little is recorded.
• EBSaint Eustasius of BourgesMonk of Bourges, venerated in the Western Church.
• ERSaint Exuperantius of RomeA name entered in the martyrology attributed to Bede, on 31 December; few details survive.
• FSaint FestusA saint venerated at Valencia in Spain.
• FVenerable FranquilaAn abbot in Galicia in Spain, who reposed around 959.
• GMVenerable Gaius of MachairasA venerable father connected with Machairas Monastery in Cyprus.
• GMartyr GaudentiusA martyr honoured in the calendar of the Church of Greece.
• GWVenerable George the WonderworkerA wonderworking saint venerated in the Machairas area of Cyprus, called Macheromenos.
• GSaint GwyninA Welsh saint honored at Bangor-⁠on-⁠Dee.
• HEMartyr Hermes the ExorcistAn exorcist of the Church, remembered as a martyr in the ancient martyrologies.
• IVenerable IrenaeusA venerable father, commemorated in the Orthodox calendar; little is known of his life.
• JSSaint Justinus of SipontoA saint of the first Christian centuries, venerated at Siponto in Italy.
• LCSaint Lochan of Cill na ManachA saint of Cill na Manach, commemorated in the Irish calendar; very little is recorded.
• MVenerable MaelogA Welsh saint honored at Llanfaelog, of the 6th century.
• MSaint MeilogA saint of Wales, commemorated in the calendars of the Western saints.
• NMartyr NemeA woman martyr commemorated in the Greek synaxarion.
• OMartyr OlympiodoraA holy woman commemorated in the Greek synaxarion.
• PRMartyr Paulina of RomeMartyr of Rome, remembered in the early martyrologies.
• PSSaint Pedro de SubiacaA saint honored in the West, of whom little is known.
• PSVenerable Peter of SubiacoA monastic saint remembered in Western calendars, died around 1003; few details survive.
• PTMartyr Peter TroitskyPsalm-⁠reader born to a deacon's family in Moscow province, killed in 1938; canonized as a martyr by the Russian Church.
• RRMartyr Rogata of RomeMartyr of Rome, remembered in the early martyrologies.
• SPHoly Hieromartyrs Sabinian and PotentianVenerated as preachers of the Gospel at Sens in Gaul, put to death around 303.
• SRMartyr Saturnina of RomeMartyr of Rome, remembered in the early martyrologies.
• SRMartyr Serotina of RomeMartyr of Rome, remembered in the early martyrologies.
• SPHoly Martyrs Stephen, Pontian and companionsTen martyrs of Catania, saints of the undivided Church, commemorated in the Roman Martyrology.
• TVMartyr Ten Virgins of NicomediaA group of ten virgins of Nicomedia, commemorated together, from around the year 286.
• Venerable Valerius PinianusA Roman senator, husband of Saint Melania the Younger, with whom he lived ascetically in Jerusalem; he reposed in 420.
• Saint Sylvester of RomeBishop of Rome from 314 to 335, in the time of Emperor Constantine and the Council of Nicaea.
• Saint Peter MohylaMetropolitan of Kyiv from 1633, son of a Moldavian prince, defender of Orthodoxy and founder of the Kyiv college.
• Venerable Paisios of Mount AthosAthonite monk known as Elder Paisios, a beloved spiritual guide, who died in 1994 at Souroti.
• Holy Martyrs The 20,000 Martyrs of NicomediaChristians put to death at Nicomedia for their faith in the Diocletian persecution; tradition speaks of twenty thousand.
• BMartyr BusirisA martyr at Gaza under Julian the Apostate, with Nestor and the brothers Eusebius, Nestabus and Zeno.

Questions

I.What can I name a boy born on December 31?

From the saints of the day: Theophylact, Marius, Gelasius, Michael, Cyriacus, Gaius, George, Irenaeus, Peter, Stephen, Valerius, Sylvester, Paisios. You may also choose a saint of the eighth day or any saint dear to the family.

II.What can I name a girl born on December 31?

From the women saints of the day: Melania, Columba. You may also choose one of the eighth day or any saint dear to the family.

III.Must the name be the saint of the birthday?

No. Tradition links it to the birthday or the eighth day, but many parents choose a saint who has helped the family.