Do you want to pray about naming a child? Are you concerned about naming your child?
Our names can say so much about us and so it’s no wonder that parents feel some pressure about naming a child. As parents, we often pray for our children and we can take comfort in knowing we are not alone in this. People from ancient times have done so as well.
“I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him” (1 Samuel 1.27, NIV).
As you choose a name for your baby, allow God to guide you and give you insight. Let the prayers you pray help you open your heart to God about your concerns and worries regarding your baby.
We invite you to use any of these eight heartfelt prayers for naming a child to help you in this momentous process. The prayers below offer several different scenarios but you can easily modify any of them to suit your circumstances.
As you explore this website, you may also be helped by prayers for the delivery of a baby, or prayers for an ultrasound. We invite you to share your comments and requests in the section at the end of this article.
Short Prayer For Naming a Child
Dear Lord, I have been asked to help think of names for a newborn child and I am not sure what I should suggest. It’s not my child so I feel odd about this. But, I ask for help to come up with some names and help this nervous couple. In the name of Jesus, I pray, Amen.
Prayer For Naming A Boy
Lord God, we got the ultrasound today and we for sure know we are having a boy. A boy! Now we are faced with choosing a name for this boy coming into the world in the near future.
There are so many choices and decisions regarding a name. I didn’t really realize until this moment that the name we choose for our son can affect him and his life. People can live into their names, or up to their names. I don’t want to place a burden on our boy just because we chose a certain name for him.
Family members on both sides have already been telling us “good family names,” but we’re not sure we’re going to go that way. I’m praying to you about this because it clearly has given us some worry. Help us choose the name that is right for our son, even if we don’t know what that is just yet. I pray this in the name of Jesus, Amen.
Prayer For Naming A Girl
O Lord, we are going to have a girl in our family! We are so thankful that she looks healthy on the ultrasound and that we know what we are having. I know some people want to be surprised but we both wanted to know ahead of time. We need to prepare ourselves so we are ready for our daughter.
Now we need to find a name for our baby girl. This is our first child and it feels like there’s so much pressure–from family and friends, and just society in general. We both feel we want the name to fit the baby, but that’s a tough prediction.
I wish we could wait until she is a year old so we could see more of her personality, but we know that’s not possible. We are praying and asking for guidance because we believe a person’s name says something about them and can be a help or hindrance to them. Let your guidance help us choose a good name for our daughter. In the name of Jesus, I pray, Amen.
Prayer For Traditional Naming Of A Baby
Dear God, I am thankful that we are pregnant and that we are going to have a baby soon. It has been quite a journey just getting pregnant and now I am facing the decision of what name I want for the baby. My husband believes it is the mother’s choice most of all for naming the baby and I appreciate his trust and support.
I know for certain that I do not want a trendy or odd spelling of a name for my baby. I want a traditional name, but I’m not sure what that even means in my mind. I just feel deeply I want a good, solid, traditional kind of name.
I want to choose a name that has meaning and purpose for my child. I pray for direction and insight because right now I don’t have either of those. I don’t want to stress out over all this, Lord, but I believe that a child’s name matters and I don’t want to mess it up. Help me make a good choice. I pray this in the name of Jesus, Amen.
Prayer For A Baby-Naming Ceremony
Dear Father in Heaven, in the tradition of our family, we have a ceremony for naming a baby and now that the birth is getting closer and closer, we need to figure out not just a name, but the ceremony itself. We both agree that the name of our soon-coming child is very important.
I really don’t have the energy to plan a ceremony so I am asking for the courage to ask for the help I need. I don’t want others to choose the name, but I do want the ceremony itself to go well. I think it will be a nice way to prepare us all for the baby and welcome him or her into our family.
I pray for strength and help and direction. In the name of Jesus, I make this prayer, Amen.
Prayer About Choosing Our Baby’s Name
Lord God, we have a list of names for our baby. Some we like and some we don’t. Some are family names and we’re afraid of hurting people’s feelings if we don’t incorporate those names somehow.
But, we also just want to choose our baby’s name on our own. We’re glad for everyone’s interest in our child, but the baby is our child. We should be the ones to name him or her as we see fit. We don’t want to offend our family but they are really getting on both of our nerves. It’s just too much pressure!
Help us have the strength to choose the name of our baby and stand by that decision. We’re not sure what the name will be, but we know we want to pick the name we think is best for this baby. Hear our prayer through Jesus Christ, Amen.
Prayer About Using A Unique Name For Our Child
Father God, I feel very strongly about naming our baby a very unique name. I don’t want this hoped-for child to have the same name as other children. I want her to sound unique and special, and I believe her name is a major part of that.
We both think that a child’s name can be part of their destiny and so we want to choose a name that helps our baby get off to a great start in life. I am realizing other people around me don’t fully understand this and that is fine, but I do expect them to respect our decision. I ask for that to be so.
I pray for guidance and openness as we decide on a unique name for our unique child. In the name of Jesus, I pray, Amen.
A Single Parent’s Prayer For Naming A Child
God, as if I didn’t already have enough pressure on me as a single mom, I am pregnant and need to decide on a name for my baby, who is coming soon. My ex-husband is not in the picture anymore so this decision is all on me.
I want to pick a name that helps my baby in life. I want to pick a name that my baby will enjoy being called. I want the name to fit him or her, even if I won’t really “know” him or her until she has lived a bit. I wish there was some way to wait until I could see how the child is, and who he or she really is before deciding on a name.
I guess the name I choose can go a long way in helping that child be who they are to be. So, I ask for insight into this child in my womb. What name will be the proper name for him or her? Guide me I pray, O Lord, in the name of Jesus, Amen.
Final Thoughts
Names give insight into who we are, or who our parents thought we would be. They can reflect family or cultural heritage, or a parent’s desire to have their child stand out on any list of names.
Whatever your reasoning for choosing your child’s name, always remember that God has known that child and we can go to God for help and guidance.
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1.5, NIV).
Whether your baby will be a prophet or not doesn’t necessarily matter in choosing their name. What matters is that you can turn to God in prayer, trusting that God will direct you toward the appropriate name. May these prayers help you grow in your relationship with God, and may they begin to grow your heart of love for your child.
