Virtue names

Every name links to its full page: meaning, origin, and its real popularity curve since 1890.

Ernest Germanic · serious, resolute

Grace Latin · "grace," from gratia, divine favor made a name; the Puritan virtue name that outlived nearly all its siblings. Elegant enough for a princess, plain enough for a farm girl, and a fixture of the vintage revival

Gloria Latin · Latin, 'glory'

Connie Latin · diminutive of Constance, 'steadfast'

Constance Latin · constancy, steadfastness

Gracie English · pet form of Grace

Earnest Germanic · variant of Ernest, 'serious, resolute'

Jewel French · precious stone

Mercedes Spanish · mercies (Marian title)

Clare Latin · 'clear, bright, famous', from Latin clarus

Felicia Latin · happy, fortunate

Joy English · joy, happiness; the go-to translation for Filipino families whose daughter carries the native Tagalog name Ligaya ("joy"), and also chosen by Korean American church families for its brightness

Nadine Russian · hope

Freda Germanic · peace; short form of Frieda/Winifred

Serena Latin · "calm, serene"

Charity English · love, generosity

Justine French · just, righteous

Jewell English · from the word 'jewel,' a precious gem

Vicki English · pet form of Victoria, 'victory'

Belle French · beautiful; immortalized by Belle in Disney's Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Luz Spanish · Spanish for 'light', from the title Maria de la Luz

Leticia Latin · joy, gladness

Alta Latin · high, tall

Hilary Latin · traditionally 'cheerful, happy'

Hillary Latin · cheerful, happy

Justice English · virtue name meaning 'moral rightness', from Latin 'iustitia'

Vickie Latin · diminutive of Victoria, 'victory'

Blanca Spanish · white

Bonita Spanish · pretty, lovely

Clair Latin · variant of Claire, 'clear, bright'

Clement Latin · merciful, gentle

Esperanza Spanish · hope

Haven English · from the word "haven", a safe place

Truman English · true, faithful man

Amie French · variant of Amy, 'beloved'

Freida Germanic · variant of Frieda, 'peace'

Hope English · hope

Imani Swahili · faith; a beloved name in African American families, part of the Swahili virtue-name tradition embraced since the 1970s

Lettie Latin · diminutive of Letitia, from Latin 'laetitia' meaning joy

Noble English · noble, distinguished

Justina Latin · just, righteous

Justus Latin · just, fair

Patience English · patience

Serenity English · "serenity," the calm-waters virtue word; American parents revived the Puritan habit of virtue naming in the 2000s and this one led the class alongside Harmony and Grace. A name that states its blessing outright

Benedict Latin · from Benedictus, meaning 'blessed'

Cherie French · dear, beloved

Fidel Spanish · faithful

Freeman English · free man, direct; famously borne by Freeman Dyson, physicist and mathematician known for work in quantum electrodynamics and the 'Dyson sphere' concept

Graciela Spanish · Spanish form of Grace, from Latin gratia, 'grace, favor'

Leta Latin · traditionally 'joy', or a short form of Aleta

Marvel English · wonder, marvel

Mercy English · virtue name from the word 'mercy', ultimately Latin 'merces'

Benita Spanish · Spanish/Italian feminine form of Benito, from Latin Benedictus, meaning blessed.

Creed Latin · a statement of belief, from Latin credo, 'I believe'

Harmony English · from the word "harmony"

Honor Latin · esteem, distinction; virtue name from Latin honor

Letitia Latin · From Latin 'laetitia', meaning joy or gladness; in use as a given name since the late Roman era.

Love English · virtue name from the English word 'love'

Renae French · modern respelling of Renee, French for 'reborn'

Valencia Spanish · Spanish place name, from Latin 'valentia', meaning 'strength, courage'

Valentine Latin · traditionally 'strong, healthy', from Latin valens

Adel Arabic · Arabic for 'just, fair'; also a Germanic name element meaning 'noble'

Carissa Greek · variant of Charissa, "grace, beloved"

Felicity Latin · "happiness, good fortune"

Ines Spanish · Spanish/Portuguese form of Agnes, Greek for 'pure, chaste'

Loyal Latin · faithful, true (Old French loial, from Latin legalis)

Alethea Greek · 'truth', from Greek aletheia

Amina Arabic · traditionally meaning trustworthy

Aretha Greek · traditionally 'virtuous'; forever tied to the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin

Dulce Spanish · 'sweet', from Latin dulcis

Grayce English · a historic spelling variant of Grace, the English virtue name from Latin gratia

Liberty Latin · 'freedom', from Latin libertas

Miracle English · from the word "miracle"

Prudence Latin · "wisdom, foresight"

Treasure English · vocabulary word 'treasure', a valued possession

Belva Latin · From Italian belvedere, beautiful view (Latin bellus, beautiful, and videre, to see); popularized by lawyer Belva Lockwood.

Blythe English · means 'happy, cheerful'

Chasity English · variant spelling of Chastity, meaning 'purity'

Earnestine Germanic · Feminine form of Ernest, from Old High German ernust, vigor or seriousness; the spelling echoes the English word earnest.

Glory English · virtue name meaning 'honor, praise'

Hardy Germanic · English surname/word name from Germanic, 'bold, brave'

Jolie French · 'pretty', from the French adjective

Kareem Arabic · 'generous, noble'

Lucky English · directly from the word 'lucky', meaning fortunate

Truett English · surname believed to derive from Old English 'true, faithful'

Zaida Arabic · traditionally 'fortunate' or 'growing, increasing'

Zulema Arabic · Spanish form of an Arabic name meaning 'peace'

Aletha Greek · a variant of Alethea, from Greek aletheia, truth; used by English Puritans as a virtue name

Amado Spanish · beloved

Boone English · surname from Old French 'bon', 'good', or from the town of Bohon, France

Cherish English · virtue word name, 'to hold dear, treasure'

Desirae French · variant spelling of Desiree, 'desired'

Faith English · faith, trust

Felice Italian · the Italian form of Felix, Latin felix, happy or fortunate

Joie French · 'joy'

Santa Latin · Spanish and Italian word for saint, from Latin sanctus, holy, used as a devotional given name

Serene Latin · virtue name, 'calm, tranquil'

True English · vocabulary word 'true', a virtue name

Vita Latin · life

Allegra Italian · joyful, lively

Amani Arabic · wishes; from an Arabic root meaning 'to tempt, to put to the test'

Charis Greek · 'grace', related to the Charites (Graces) of Greek myth

Destinee English · phonetic respelling of Destiny, from the word meaning 'fate'

Gay English · from the English word gay, meaning joyful or carefree, from Old French gai; use as a first name faded after the word's meaning shifted

Jabari African · brave, fearless; Swahili

Paloma Spanish · dove

Renita Latin · Likely a diminutive elaboration of Renata, Latin renatus, reborn.

Saige English · variant spelling of Sage, "wise"

Sunshine English · literally 'sunshine'

Destiny English · fate, destiny

Essence Latin · word name meaning fundamental nature, being

Gracelyn English · modern blend of Grace and Lynn

Ilona Finnish · in Finland popularly associated with ilo, "joy" (a folk connection, not the name's original Greek/Hungarian root)

Joi English · variant spelling of Joy, from the English word for happiness

Karis Greek · means 'grace', from Greek 'charis'

Pia Latin · means 'pious' or 'devout'

Anisa Arabic · traditionally meaning friendly, good companion

Charissa Greek · from Greek charis, grace; coined by Edmund Spenser in The Faerie Queene (1590) as a personification of charity

Clemence French · mercy, mildness (from Latin clementia)

Desire French · from the word 'desire', related to French Desiree meaning 'desired'

All 743 virtue names, A to Z

Virtue names

All 743 virtue names, A to Z

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