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Names That Mean Good or Kind

Sophie Kihm
By Sophie Kihm
Updated Thu Feb 01 2024
Names That Mean Good or Kind

Names that mean good or kind can express these values and hopefully pass them on to your child. Kindness is a quality that all parents hope to imbue in their children. The most common name that means good for girls is Evangeline, and Tobias ranks the highest for boys.

Along with Evangeline, other girl names that mean kind in the US Top 1000 include Winnie, Felicity, and Zuri.

Boy names that mean kind are uncommon in the US, with Tobias the only one ranking in the Top 1000.

Intriguing international options with kindness-related meanings include Keiji, Neema, Sadbh, and Tashi.

Good and kind baby names can also be related to concepts such as gentleness and generosity. If you are in need of names for a kind baby, one of these could be perfect for you.

We’ve added all the names that mean good or kind in our database to this list, ordered by their current popularity on Nameberry.

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  1. Evangeline

    • Origin:

      Greek

    • Meaning:

      "bearer of good news"

    • Description:

      Evangeline is a romantic old name enjoying a major comeback, thanks to its religious overtones, Eva's popularity, and the star of the TV megahit Lost, Evangeline Lilly. Evangelia and Evangelina — two variants of Evangeline — are sure to tag along for the ride.
  2. Felicity

    • Origin:

      Latin

    • Meaning:

      "good fortune, happy"

    • Description:

      Felicity is as accessible a virtue name as Hope and Faith, but much more feminine -- and dare we say, happier. The hit TV show did a lot to soften and modernize the once buttoned-up image of Felicity, and it got further notice as the red-haired Colonial doll, Felicity Merriman, in the American Girl series. A current bearer is actress Felicity Huffman.
  3. Tobias

    • Origin:

      Greek from Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "God is good"

    • Description:

      Tobias is one of a number of s-ending boys' names that are riding a wave of popularity. With its Old Testament-Dickensian feel, it's a name with a distinguished pedigree.
  4. Winnie

    • Origin:

      English diminutive of Winifred

    • Meaning:

      "holy peacemaking, gentle friend"

    • Description:

      This pet form of such names as Winifred and Edwina and Gwendolyn has loads of vintage charm, a la Millie and Maisie, with a decidedly winning vibe. And it just got celebrity cred as the baby daughter of Jimmy Fallon.
  5. Toby

    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Tobias, Greek, Hebrew

    • Meaning:

      "God is Good"

    • Description:

      Sweet and spirited, kindly and handsome, posh and approachable, Toby is a versatile nickname, popular in the UK as a stand-alone choice, but familiar in the Netherlands and New Zealand too. In the US, it had its heyday in the 70s but has since been outranked by long form Tobias.
  6. Agatha

    • Origin:

      Greek

    • Meaning:

      "good woman"

    • Description:

      Agatha until recently summoned up visions of martyred saints, mauve silk dresses, and high lace collars, but now that some dauntless excavators have begun to resurrect it, we're sure more will follow their lead. Actor Thomas Gibson used it for his daughter in 2004.
  7. Mildred

    • Origin:

      English

    • Meaning:

      "gentle strength"

    • Description:

      Is it clunky cute, strong and vintage, or dreadful and mildewy? Like Gertrude and Bertha, Mildred is one that divides the crowds, but with popular nickname Mildred and renewed interest in Winifred, Deborah, Millicent, and Gwendolen, it's not entirely out of the question that Mildred might make a return in coming years
  8. Eunice

    • Origin:

      Greek

    • Meaning:

      "good victory"

    • Description:

      Eunice is a New Testament name of the mother of Timothy, long associated with one of the Kennedy sisters, the founder of the Special Olympics. As high as Number 106 in the early 1900s, it lasted on the list until 1995. Eunice was the birth name of Nina Simone, which gives it a modicum of cool.
  9. Tobin

    • Origin:

      English surname derived from Tobias

    • Meaning:

      "God is good"

    • Description:

      Tobias-related name that makes an attractive and modern-sounding form of the biblical original. It was recently chosen by Karolina Kurkova for her son.
  10. Mona

    • Origin:

      Irish

    • Meaning:

      "noble good"

    • Description:

      Mona had more than a moment in the sun, peaking in 1950 at Number 230 but falling off the Top 1000 completely in the late 1980s. Its similarity to the word "moaner" undercuts the appeal of its simplicity. In one recent year, fewer than 100 baby girls received the name, and we don't see it reviving any time soon.
  11. Tova

    • Origin:

      Hebrew, Swedish

    • Meaning:

      "good, pleasing; beautiful, beloved"

    • Description:

      A lively feeling choice with multicultural origins, Tova is both a Hebrew name with a positive meaning and a Swedish variant of Tove, a modern Old Norse name meaning "beautiful, beloved". In Hebrew, it would be pronounced as TOH-VAH, while in Swedish, it would be said as TOO-vuh.
  12. Gareth

    • Origin:

      Welsh

    • Meaning:

      "gentle"

    • Description:

      Gareth, the name of a modest and brave knight in King Arthur's court, makes a sensitive, gently appealing choice, used more in its native Wales than anywhere else.
  13. Zuri

    • Origin:

      Kiswahili

    • Meaning:

      "good, beautiful"

    • Description:

      Zuri migrated, at least to American sensibilities, to the feminine side when an Ohio zoo used it for a female giraffe. For either gender, Zuri is an attractive name with the usual Z-initial zest.
  14. Keeva

    • Origin:

      Irish, phonetic spelling of Caoimhe

    • Meaning:

      "gentle, beautiful, precious"

    • Description:

      Keeva, the name chosen by "How I Met Your Mother" star Alyson Hannigan for her daughter, has recently been a Top 20 name in Ireland, using the authentic spelling Caoimhe. The male version is Caomhin--anglicized as Kevin.
  15. Dalia

    • Origin:

      Hebrew, Spanish, or Swahili

    • Meaning:

      "branch; dahlia; gentle"

    • Description:

      Similar in sound to the flower name Dahlia, this gentle but distinctive name, heard in many cultures, hits that Golden Mean between too popular and too unusual. In Lithuanian mythology, Dalia is a goddess of weaving and of fate.
  16. Glenda

    • Origin:

      Feminine form of Glenn, English, Scottish

    • Meaning:

      "valley"

    • Description:

      Part nature name, part mid-century favorite, Glenda came into use in the 20th century as a feminine form of Scottish Glenn, likely inspired by Linda and Wanda too. While Glenn would give it the meaning "valley", if you do consider it a smoosh name with Linda, Wanda, or Brenda, you get means such as "beautiful valley", "tender valley", "Wend's valley", "sword valley" or "fire valley".
  17. Sadbh

    • Origin:

      Irish

    • Meaning:

      "sweet; goodly"

    • Description:

      Sadbh is the modern Irish form of the more streamlined but equally confusing Sadb or Sadhbh: these names are pronounced to rhyme with five. In Irish mythology Sadb or Sadbh or Sadhbh, a goddess lover of Finn McCool's, was turned into a deer only to vanish and (somewhere in there) give birth to Oisin.
  18. Halima

    • Origin:

      African

    • Meaning:

      "gentle, humane"

    • Description:

      This Swahili and Muslim female name referring to the Prophet Muhammed's nurse. It is a popular name in Egypt and Somalia.
  19. Kota

    • Origin:

      Japanese, Indian, Native American

    • Meaning:

      "happiness; good fortune; fort; allies, friends"

    • Description:

      Concise and cool, Kota is a name with multiple origins, making it a versatile choice that travels well.
  20. Calia

    • Origin:

      Italian, nickname from Greek Kaleas

    • Meaning:

      "good or beautiful person"

    • Description:

      A highly unusual Italian word-name that is nevertheless attractive and easy to pronounce and spell.