Names That Mean Truth

If you love Puritan virtue names and want to move beyond Hope and Faith and Grace, this is a wonderful choice, both for its meaning and its sound. A rare find here, though occasionally heard in England. It was used in Winston Graham's Poldark novels, was Madonna's name as James Bond's fencing instructor in Die Another Day, and made a brief appearance in Harry Potter. Not to mention being a fixture on British and Australian soaps. Verity also appears in one of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple mysteries.

Alethea, the name of the Greek goddess of truth, came into fashion in England in the 16th century, in tandem with the virtue names. Alethea may find new favor now as one of the goddess names stylish for baby girls.

Honest and sincere, laid-back and creative, Emmet is a male cognate of the megapopular Emma and Emily, but the more common spelling is Emmett. Emmet dropped off the US Top 1000 in 1934 and reentered the list in 2014; Emmett, on the other hand, has never been off the charts.

With the rise of both international names and those that start with the letter V, this sharp alternative to Vera may become more familiar in the English-speaking world.

This name of an Albanian supermodel is a short form of many Slavic choices but is an intriguing alternative to Emma on its own.

Looks like a pared-down Emmett, but it actually derives from a difference source.

Unisex Japanese name more often given to boys.

Acting couple Alyson Hannigan and Alexis Denisof chose this Sanskrit word meaning, literally, "truth vehicle" for their daughter. It has a melodic sound and strong meaning. Think of it as rhyming with the Russian Tatiana.

Unusual and pretty, if lispy.

With the first name True receiving a Kardashian dose of popularity for girls, Truth is gaining in visibility too. Though its still more popular for boys two to one, the truth is that the name works equally well for both genders -- but may inspire a lot of puns.

Satya can be either a feminine or masculine name. It is strongly connected to the virtue, and in order to represent "satya" one must be truthful not only in words, but also in actions and thoughts. Satya is a great name for those in the West who have Indian roots or are looking for a discreet virtue name.

Form of Emet

Popular in Israel but rare elsewhere, Amitai is a Hebrew name with a virtue-adjacent meaning. The name of the father of Jonah in the Old Testament, it has a a cool, energetic sound that feels in tune with Azariah, Amias, Levi, and Mattias. Nickname Tai is an added bonus. Sociologist Amitai Etzioni and actor Amitai Marmorstein are notable bearers.

Emmet is usually the boys' form of the names Emma, but it might work for a girl too if Emma and Emily are too overused for you.

In ancient Rome, Veritas was a minor goddess-personification of truth. Even non-Latin scholars may know the expression "in vino veritas": in wine, there is truth.

First name combination popular in Turkey.

Makoto is a unisex name in Japan, although many more men bear the name.

Rare word name, and an unexpected way to get to Tess.

A Top 20 choice in Bosnia and Herzegovina, this is a handsome variant of Arabic Amin.