Naming and Identity: Our Greatest Calling as Parents

Allison Auth describes the purpose of naming our children and how to give them their identity in God.

When I was pregnant with our first, my husband and I agonized over baby names, searching lists on the internet, writing down ones we liked and crossing of those we didn’t. We prayed about names and talked about it often. We didn’t announce the name until the child was born, confirming in the hospital that the name fit. Naming your kids is serious business, for this is the name you will call them for the rest of their lives (barring nicknames).

Naming your children is also a divine command. In Genesis 2, God told Adam in Genesis to name every living creature, and whatever he called them would be their name. Additionally, names tell us something about our mission. When God changed Abram’s name to Abraham in Genesis 17, the meaning went from “exalted father” to “father of a multitude,” signaling the mission that God had for Him. There are many other instances, but in the New Testament, the naming of John and Jesus stand out as other times God intervened for a specific name and specific mission. Jesus (Jeshua) means “God saves.”

My name, Allison, means “truthful one,” and over the years, I’ve seen that calling play out in my mission of evangelization through writing. Particularly in my book Baby and Beyond, I write about the truth of postpartum and how hard it is, so that the truth of God’s love can enter into those difficulties.

Identity: More Than a Name

Over the last fifteen years of parenting, though, I’ve realized that it isn’t enough to name your child; you must also give them their identity. Part of this identity is belonging in your family, qualities or aspects that bind your family members together.

But the deepest part of identity is belonging in God’s family, being made for great things such as giving yourself for another. So many kids are walking around like zombies, their eyes glued to their phones, not giving a thought to the meaning of their existence. They have no framework for understanding suffering, or motivation to do anything great. They are most often just getting through the day.

As Catholic parents, we can speak into that. We can help them become capable of greatness through knowing their Divine Father.

My husband and I were traveling recently, and he was watching Dune on the plane. Having seen it before, I glanced over from time to time and was struck at the main character’s change in disposition from the beginning to the end of the movie. The son of a noble family, Paul Atreides, is thrust into a leadership role when only a teenager. He is reluctant, his voice is quiet, and he doesn’t believe in his abilities. By the end of the movie, he has embraced his prophetic role as something he was destined for, a kind of divine calling. He becomes a confident risk-taker who puts his life in danger for his people, ultimately saving them.

Saint Paul writes that we who were chosen by God are destined to live for the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:11-12). We were made to partake in the Divine Life! We have been called to love fiercely and lay down our lives for others. What will transform our children from reluctant obedience to radical self-giving? They have to hear their call from God: “This is my beloved son [or daughter], with whom I am well-pleased.” (Matthew 3:17).

Give Your Kids Identity

In order to hear it from God, they should first be hearing it from us. They need to know that we see their goodness, even when they make mistakes or sin. Our children have to know they are beloved and it is good that they exist. They must be given trust and responsibility at appropriate ages to own their abilities. My son has grown tremendously in the last three years from his experience at Civil Air Patrol. He has belonging, expectations, and standards, as well as the possibility of leadership roles. He has purpose.

That purpose extends to our home as we are growing and struggling in our family to navigate these teen years and all the trials and difficulties that come with them. I tell my son often he is loved. I notice when he does something well and I tell him I am proud. This gives us a secure foundation to have harder conversations sometimes. I see him growing in his purpose as he considered that maybe God wants him to be a light in the military.

Let God Speak Their Identity

The next project is to provide times of silence and prayer for them to hear their identity from God Himself. “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name: you are mine” (Isaiah 43:1b). God has called your kids by name. He has a special purpose for your children as His beloved. Let us allow space for God to speak that identity.

The enemy will tell your children that they are worthless, unloved, and can’t do anything right. The Spirit of Truth has come to convict us of the truth that we are worth dying for, that we were made for greatness. Step by step, the Lord calls us into an adventure of holiness that begins with believing we are worthy of being loved.

The ultimate goal is divinity — sharing in God’s life. Let us help our children discover their great purpose by showing them they are loved completely, uniquely, and without question here and now. Then give room for God to speak their name and identity into their hearts.

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Copyright 2026 Allison Auth
Images: Canva