Most naming ceremonies in the UK are conducted by civil ceremonies. These can take place anywhere, for example at home, in the garden, a hotel or park and will always be delivered by a fully trained celebrant.
At christenings, traditionally the service focuses on welcoming the child into the church and religious faith, whereas naming ceremonies concentrate on the relationship between the child, parents and family. Promises are made to the child by the parents and by supporting adults. Families can also choose to include favourite readings, poems or music and have a naming day certificate as a special memento.

Couples who do not have religious beliefs still think it is important to hold a ceremony to welcome the child into the family and make a commitment to their welfare. For couples with mixed beliefs a naming ceremony can be a good alternative to having to decide one one religion to welcome the child into.

The Family Covenant Society was set up to provide welcoming ceremonies for children, helping to cement the bond between parents, children and their families. In 1994 this was know as the Baby Naming Society which was an organisation dedicated to helping families create a ceremony that they could carry out themselves. Many parents preferred to have a professional celebrant to deliver the ceremonies and in 2002 Civil Ceremonies Ltd was launched. This provided trained celebrants to carry out naming ceremonies. The Baby Naming Society was incorporated into civil ceremonies and today the organisation has a nationwide network of some 200 celebrants.

Celebrities know how to throw a good christening. David and Victoria Beckham threw a star-studded baptism bash for sons Brooklyn and Romeo. The party at the Beckhams’ home looked more like a Hollywood premiere than a religious ceremony. Pop star Elton John and his partner David Furnish were the children’s godfathers. The Church of England baptism was held at a private chapel on the mansion grounds and was followed by a six-course dinner and dance. Like the Beckhams, most celebrities host christenings in their homes rather than in a church to maintain privacy.

A five month old baby has been christened on a lifeboat on the coast of North Tyneside. Ewan Charlton was christened on the lifeboat at the Tynemouth RNLI station. Mark Charlton said the tradition of christening children in that way went back 200 years. He added that he hoped his son Ewan would follow in his footsteps and become a lifeboatman himself. Family, friends and crewmen attended the ceremony and Ewan slept right through. “We had the old brass bell from the previous lifeboat on board, so we upended it to use as the christening font. The Reverend had filled it with holy water he’d warmed up for the ceremony.” Volunteer lifeboatman Adrian Don said it was the first time in living memory the Tynemouth station had hosted a christening.