Hi, I'm Simon

Image of Simon Hodkin

You know you want to commemorate your child in some way – so why not a Naming Ceremony? The format varies each time but a formal (ish) ceremony of 20-40 minutes is usual.

You might time it to coincide with the child’s birthday, or it might simply be an excuse to have a party. Or both!

There’s no set format but my ceremonies typically include many of the following elements:

Introduction and welcomes

An introduction to the child and his/her personality & traits

Information about the name(s) and its choice

Parental promises

Guide parent promises

Certificates signed by the guide parents

Readings and/or poems

A symbolic act – ask me for ideas!

The actual naming

Concluding words

After the ceremony I send you a high-quality copy of the ceremony script.

I love doing naming ceremonies. Organised chaos, you might call it, very different from a funeral.

But both celebrating Life.

Simon was everything you would want from a celebrant. Well organised, flexible, sensitive to people’s needs and able to bring a consensus when people have divergent views. He judged the mood of the room at different times perfectly and integrated all the elements of the service seamlessly both from a content and technology perspective.

— Richard L

Simon did the naming ceremony for our little girl. Having never been to one, we weren’t sure what to expect but it was a very lovely ceremony, personalised to her and us as a family. Simon took the time to get to know her, even though she was only 9 months old, and captured her spirit with care and humour in his service. He was also accommodating of our all ideas and encouraged and facilitated them, for example, he helped us to set up a musical performance in the ceremony and also helped our friend join remotely on Zoom who couldn’t be there. We had lots of compliments from friends and family who know us well who attended, and I think we may have encouraged a few friends into doing a similar ceremony at some point!

— Lara M

Image of Simon Hodkin

Simon Hodkin

Where I work

West Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Hampshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire - and beyond.

Fees from...

£275

How to contact me
Email

simon.hodkin@humanistceremonies.org.uk

Phone

07711 145 904

Website

humanist.org.uk/simonhodkin/namings/naming-ceremonies

HUMANIST CEREMONIES™ is the network of more than 550 celebrants, trained by national charity Humanists UK to a gold standard to provide memorable and meaningful humanist ceremonies to non-religious people. Operating throughout England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands, we deliver authentic, tailor-made and heartfelt ceremonies for life’s key moments. They are always inclusive and welcoming, regardless of the beliefs of those attending.

You can trust Humanist Ceremonies celebrants: We are DBS-checked, fully insured, and regularly peer reviewed for quality assurance. We are committed to a code of conduct, and have a transparent and robust complaints process in the rare case of a problem. We all pay a monthly fee to Humanists UK to further support the work of the charity, and are part of a regional network for like-minded celebrants for support and learning.

Humanist naming ceremonies

A humanist naming ceremony is a joyous event, and the perfect opportunity to gather friends and family to welcome your child into the world, with no reference to religion. It focuses on the child, their future and the circle of love and support around them, offering a sincere and personal alternative to a christening or other religious ceremony.