For decades, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who received their temple endowment on the same calendar day were given the same "new name." Since January 1, 1965, the name assigned to a patron has been determined almost entirely by two factors: their gender and the day of the month. A man endowed on the 12th of any month, for example, would receive the same name as every other man endowed on the 12th, regardless of the temple or country.
That system quietly changed in June 2026.
According to the independently maintained Temple Name Oracle database, the Church has retained the same list of male and female names, but it no longer assigns them to fixed calendar dates. Instead, the names now follow a rotating sequence that changes each month. Male and female name pairs remain linked together, but the pair assigned on one date in June may appear on a different date in July.
The change means that simply knowing a person's endowment date is no longer enough to determine the name they received. Under the previous system, members and researchers could identify a likely temple name by matching the day of the month. Under the new system, the monthly sequence must also be known.
What Is the "New Name"?
As part of the LDS temple endowment ceremony, each participant receives what the Church calls a "new name." Church teachings present this name as symbolic rather than as a replacement for the person's given name. Members are taught that it represents a new stage in their covenant relationship with God, reflecting the biblical theme that God sometimes gives new names to individuals entering into sacred covenants or taking on new responsibilities. Examples frequently cited include Abram becoming Abraham (Genesis 17:5), Sarai becoming Sarah (Genesis 17:15), Jacob becoming Israel (Genesis 32:28), and Simon receiving the name Peter (Matthew 16:18). The Book of Revelation also refers to the faithful receiving "a white stone, and in the stone a new name written" that is known only to the recipient (Revelation 2:17), a passage that Latter-day Saints commonly associate with temple worship.
Members are instructed that this new name is sacred and should not be spoken publicly except under specific circumstances defined by the temple ceremony. Many Latter-day Saints view the name as a personal reminder of the covenants they have made and of their commitment to remain faithful throughout their lives.
Although the ceremony emphasizes the personal significance of the new name, it is not chosen individually for each person. Instead, everyone of the same gender who attends the temple on the same assigned day receives the same name. Temple workers are provided with the day's designated male and female names, and every patron is given the corresponding name.
A Brief History of Temple Names
The most comprehensive public record of LDS temple names is maintained by the Temple Name Oracle at Fuller Consideration.
Drawing from thousands of voluntary submissions, the site documents how temple naming practices have evolved over time. According to its research:
Before 1880, women generally received the name Sarah.
From roughly 1880 until the end of 1964, temple workers had considerable discretion in choosing names, resulting in substantial variation.
Beginning January 1, 1965, the Church standardized the practice so that everyone of the same gender attending on the same day received the same name worldwide.
In June 2026, that standardized day-of-the-month schedule was replaced with a monthly rotating sequence while preserving the same list of names.
Although the Church has not publicly explained the reason for the 2026 change, it makes predicting or retrospectively identifying temple names more difficult than under the previous fixed calendar system.
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