Christian Occupation Names

Dean

English

"church official"

Dean may sound to some like a retro surfer boy name, but it is once again climbing up the popularity chart in the USA. For decades it was associated with Dean (born Dino) Martin; more recent…

Shepherd

Occupational name

"sheep herder"

Shepherd is an occupational surname with a pleasant, pastoral feel, an outdoorsy vibe, a gentle sound and a cool, contemporary energy. The name has been rising steadily in the US since the mid-2000s,…

Saint

English word name

"saint"

Saint as a descriptive word name was first chosen by rocker Pete Wentz for his younger son (baby brother is Bronx), and now Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have catapulted the name into the celebrity…

Deacon

Greek

"messenger, servant"

This name was transposed from the word for a church officer to a baby name when Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe chose it for their son, after a baseball player ancestor, and Don Johnson followed…

Bishop

English occupational name

"senior member of the church"

Occupation names and spiritual names are in style, so it's hardly surprising that Bishop has been making appearances in the Top 1000. Popular back in the late 19th and early 20th century, it…

Usher

Yiddish variation of Asher or English surname from French

"blessed; doorkeeper"

Strongly associated with the mega-popular single-named singer, who was actually the fourth Usher Raymond in his family. He could start a fad. The Yiddish variation of Usher is commonly used in the…

Canon

English

"clergyman, law, oeuvre"

A variant of the surname Cannon, or an English word name with several possible meanings. A canon is a clergyman, as well as a rule or law – especially within religious doctrine. In the arts, canon is…

Elder

English word name

Anyone who's seen "The Book of Mormon" or visited Utah knows this as the title taken by male Mormon missionaries during their term of service. We'd advise anyone who lives somewhere with any…

Priest

Occupational name

An extreme example of the newly possible ecclesiastical brotherhood that includes Deacon and Bishop. This one might work better in the middle spot.

Chancellor

English

"chief secretary"

Of the names derived from titles, this is one of the least obvious (unless you are of German extraction). Chancellor also has the attraction of offering the exciting - and very on-trend - nickname…

Parson

English occupational name

"clergyman"

The name Parson might have seemed ridiculous even a few years ago, but when Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe named their son Deacon, they opened up a whole new field of ecclesiastical cool.…

Abbot

Abbot is a masculine name with English origins, derived from the Late Latin 'abbas' (from Aramaic 'abba,' meaning 'father'). Historically, an abbot is the male superior or head of a monastery, giving…