QUAERITUR: Can girls choose male saints’ names at Confirmation?

From a reader:

My younger sister is going through Confirmation classes and, God-willing, will be confirmed next year. She seem to have her heart set on Maximilian Kolbe as her Confirmation Saint/name.
Interestingly enough, the Confirmation class teacher (of 25 years) says that the Church teaches that one MUST choose a saint of the same gender. I cannot find any such law, tradition etc. Can you help?

Sure I can help.

The teacher is wrong.

Your sister can choose whatever saint’s name she desires. If you need some analogy of names and opposite sex saints, mention the many male religious who have “Mary” as one of their names in religion. Mention the many women religious whose names in religion were often “Mary” and then a male saint’s name. Off the top of my head, I knew a Sr. Mary Peter Alcantara. In the TV comedy “Bless Me Father” there was the ominous Mother Stephen. Lot’s of women had male names in religion.

The teacher is wrong.

Your sister can choose St. Maximilian.  May he be a good patron for her.