Q&A: What are some obscure or lesser known saints we could name our baby after?

Catholics believe that when you name your child after a saint, you give your child a patron, a protector, and a role model. It's a wonderful way to think about baby names—and there are plenty of saint's names beyond Christopher and Anne.

Pregnant mothers sometimes call upon St. Gerard, the patron saint of motherhood, when they are having difficulty with labor—and there are many boys gratefully named Gerard as their first or second name. Or they might pray to St. Colette or St. Gianna to help them conceive. If you love the City of Lights, look no further than St. Genevieve, the patron saint of Paris. Love to carry a tune? St. Cecilia is the patron saint of music. And get this, there's even a saint for lovers of the feline variety—St. Agnes is the patron saint of cats!

Looking for a saint's name that is even less well known? Consider St. Alodia, a Spanish martyr who is known as Sainte Elodie in France; St. Maximilian, an early conscientious objector; and St. Mirrin (or Mirren), a 7th-century Irish abbot who founded a monastery in Paisley, Scotland. St. Ambrose was a 4th-century bishop of Milan, St. Cassian of Tangiers was a 3rd-century martyr, and St. Bardo was a German saint and 11th-century bishop of Mainz.

Another, more traditional way to choose a saint's name is to find the saint's day that falls closest to your child's birthday. Many saints are honored with their own feast day, or holy day, which commemorates the day that they died or were born into heaven. If your daughter is born in February, you might name her after St. Brigid, whose feast day is February 1st, marking the traditional first day of spring in Ireland. Or a boy born in January might be named Gennaro, the patron saint of Naples whose name is derived from the Roman god of beginnings, Janus.

So if it's a more unusual saint's name you're looking for, we're sure that one of these will certainly fit your future little angel!