Baby Name Meanings · Nature, Place and Word Names
Virtue Names
Across 8 pages
of 8
Euphoria
English word name
"a feeling of intense excitement or joy"
A pretty and modern word name for a daughter, expressing great happiness.
Light
Word name
A shimmering day name, with a bit of hippie residue.
Liberty
Word name
Less common than other virtue names, Liberty is nonetheless a name with a long American heritage. Liberty is seeing a level of popularity not seen since the end of the First World War, but its heyday…
Happy
English word name
"happy, joy"
Many virtue names have long been in style or have seen a resurgence in recent years. Happy, however joyous, seems unlikely to join this trend. This could be because it doesn't have a solid history of…
Finesse
English from French, word name
"Saturday Night Live" cast member Finesse Mitchell often mocks his own and similar names when portraying the character Starkeisha on the show.
Kismet
Word name
"fate"
The next Destiny? Kismet seems like it might be fated for increased use.
Grizzly
English word name
"gray"
Now that Bear is becoming a hot name, can Grizzly be far behind? A handful of baby boys did get this name last year in the US.
Keen
English, Irish
"bold, brave; battle"
Actor Mark Ruffalo honed this surname down to its basics when he chose it for his son. A more usable expansion might be the Irish surname Keenan/Keenen.
Karma
Hindi, Sanskrit "destiny, spiritual force; deed, fate"
"destiny, spiritual force; deed, fate"
Some parents are hoping to bestow good karma on their children with this name, derived from the Sanskrit word for "fate". Associated with the Hindu and Buddhist belief that someone's actions in this…
Modesty
Latin
"modesty"
Modesty is a virtue name dating to Roman times, but never widely used, except for hot 1960s movie spoof heroine, Modesty Blaise, based on a comic strip.
Moxie
English slang
"aggressive energy, know-how"
Like Penn Jillette, you can have your own little brash babe.
Noble
Latin
"aristocratic"
With parents beginning to show an interest in virtue names for boys, this Puritan favorite just might be revived, for what could be more admirable than nobility in terms of having strength of…
Obedience
Virtue name
It may have been used by the Puritans, but any modern child would chafe under this name.
Patience
Latin virtue name
"ability to accept or tolerate inconveniences, and suffering without anxiety or anger"
Patience is a passive virtue turned engaging name, fresher than Hope, Faith, or even Charity. Its resemblance to the trendy Payton may be one reason that it returned to the US charts back in the 90's…
Pax
Latin
"peaceful"
Pax, one of the variations of names meaning peace that are newly popular in these less-than-peaceful times, got a lot of publicity when chosen by Brad & Angelina for their Vietnamese-born son.…
Peace
Word name
"peace"
Peace may be an admirable sentiment to convey in a child's name, but the translated and thus more subtle versions, like Pax or Placido, might work better as first names.
Gracious
English word name
"marked by kindness and courtesy"
A warm and positive English word name, used by the Puritans for both sexes but now given to only around a dozen baby girls each year.
Pleasant
Word name
An admirable quality to impart; Pleasant was used by Charles Dickens in Our Mutual Friend and in modern times is known via American Girl dolls creator Pleasant Rowland.
Fidelity
Word name
Fidelity is an admirable virtue, yes, but as a name it tends to sound like a financial institution. Faith, Honor, or Patience would be easier to live with than Fidelity.
Experience
English word name
Experience is a word name used by the New England Puritans but probably too joke-worthy for a modern child...or teenager. It does not have as direct a biblical reference as most Puritan names.