By custom, like with many Patriarchs around the world, the Supreme Pontiff of the United Roman-Ruthenian Church may either use one of his Christian names or take a new name for his reign. Rutherford I opted to retain his own given name in honour of his family. It is taken from Ruddervoorde, an important village of Bruges, the capital of the County of Flanders, a location of significant historical convergence of their Spanish-Italian, Russian, and Byzantine ancestors. Since there is no saint of the exact same name, his name-saint was chosen as St. George. Why was this saint chosen?

The name Rutherford is an anglicised version of Ruddervoorde (given in various other spellings, such as Riddervoorde and Ridefort), an old town in Flanders within modern-day Belgium. The Flemish word "ridder" means "knight." St. George, so often depicted as a knight, was an officer in the elite Praetorian Guard of the Roman Army, where he was serving when he was killed for his Christian faith during the Diocletian Persecution. While the concept of medieval knighthood as we know it did not exist at that time, St. George was an officer in an elite military unit, which also had its own cavalry wing. Thus George is an excellent representation among the Saints in Heaven of the underlying meaning of the name of the Papa-Catholicos. 

Also, St. George, though a Roman officer, was of Greek origin. He was from Cappadoccia, in Anatolia. He not only is a major figure within the history and patrimony of the Catholicate and entire United Roman-Ruthenian Church, he is also widely respected and venerated, from Italy, Russia, Spain, France, and England, among many others.

Order of Saints George and Olga