One of the most extreme of the new word names, recommended only to the most mystical-minded parents. Actor Lance Henriksen spelled his daughter's name Alchamy. 

Alchemy

If Fable, Story and Saga are getting a look in, why not Allegory? Allegory offers the cute nickname Ally.

Allegory

An implied spiritual meaning makes this a plausible new name. 

Answer

Aria is a multi-cultural name with two extremely popular versions: this more word-like one along with Arya, the spelling used for the feisty young heroine of Game of Thrones. There were about 6400 baby girls named Aria in the US last year alog with 2400 named Arya, which counted together places the name in the Top 10.
 
The light and airy Aria entered the list in 2000 and now ranks among the Top 25 girl names in the US. In Italian, Aria's literal meaning is air, while in Hebrew it's a form of Ari meaning lion. An Aria is a musical term denoting a kind of song or melody, often in an opera.
Aria is a Top 100 name throughout the English-speaking world and also ranks highly in France and several European countries -- though notably not in Italy or Israel. In Persian, Aria is a male name, and in Indian it is considered unisex. 
Aria is also an improbably cool saint's name. Saint Aria (or Arria) of Rome was an early Christian martyr.

Aria

The name August is at its highest point since the 1890s, when it ranked among the Top 100 boy names in the US. And deservedly so, given its great meaning, historic roots, and cool nicknames.
THE celebrity baby name of the moment, August was chosen by both Princess Eugenie and Mandy Moore for their baby boys in early 2021. Before that, August had been heating up in Hollywood – used by Mariska Hargitay and Peter Hermann, Lena Olin, Dave Matthews and Jeanne Tripplehorn for their sons
August is the only truly popular month name for boys. The month of August was named after the Emperor Augustus.
 August has two august literary namesakes: the Swedish playwright August Strindberg (it has always been a popular name in Scandinavia), and August Wilson, as well as photographer August Sander.
 The French version is Auguste (ow-GOOST), as in Edgar Allan Poe's clever detective Auguste Dupin and famed sculptor Auguste Rodin.

August

Agony

Allegiance

Artifice

Audacity

Ballad could be the masculine answer to Aria. An obvious and cute nickname is Lad or Laddie.

Ballad

One of the new generation of virtue names, with Peace and Justice taking over from the Puritans' Absolution and Forgiveness, but this one is still a bit heavy to carry. 

Benevolent

Blessing is among the Top 1000 <a href="https://nameberry.com/girls-names">girls' names</a> in the UK and recently joined the ranks in the US as well. With modern spiritual names like Shiloh, Chosen, and Halo trending upwards, Blessing is likely to continue to rise in popularity.

Blessing

A sweet, uplifting and still fairly uncommon modern virtue name. Its single syllable makes it especially good as a middle name, but it would also make a big impact in the first spot.

Bliss

A new name with the potential for spanning across a far-reaching future. Bridges and Bridger are other possiblities.

Bridge

The musical word name Cadence, seemed to come out of nowhere to zoom up the charts; it rose over 700 spots between 2002 and 2004, and showed up in the Top 200 in 2007. It's gone down in the <a href="https://nameberry.com/popular-names">popular names</a> list since then, though. Some might see it as a feminine relative of the popular Caden. Kadence and Kaydence are also rising.
 An early Cadence sighting was in the 1992 Armistead Maupin novel Maybe the Moon, in which the narrator heroine was a small actress called Cadence Roth, nn Cady. January Jones played a Cadence in American Wedding.

Cadence

Although this name literally means disaster, the use of Calamity as a descriptor of Martha Jane Cannery, aka Calamity Jane, was meant to signal that she was a good person to have in troubled times. Calamity Jane was well regarded as a frontierswoman and nurse, someone who was said to be extremely generous and compassionate to the sick and troubled.. Calamity's connection to the American West gives this a roguish name a sort of windswept charm about it. Indeed, the most controversial aspect of this name is its connection to the frontier wars that led to the dispossession of Native American peoples. 
Controversy aside, you really don't want to name your daughter Calamity. There are plenty of other uncommon <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/girls-names/c">girl names starting with C</a> that don't sound like jokes.

Calamity

Once a cavalier Mississippi gambler type name, Chance has entered the mainstream since being endorsed by such celebrity dads as Larry King and Paul Hogan. Chance the Rapper has also boosted the name's popularity.

Chance

Trying to imbue your child with charisma at birth involves a certain degree of chutzpah. It was brought into the mix by ex. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" actress Charisma Carpenter, who was named after an Avon perfume. 

Charisma

Charity is one of the Big Three abstract virtue names, along with Hope and Faith, though far less widely used than the others. But as Faith, Grace and Hope grow more common, some parents are beginning to look at the more unusual three-syllable choices like Verity, Amity, Clarity and Charity, which sound much fresher and also have that pleasingly rhythmic 'y'-ending sound.
 In the Dickens novel Martin Chuzzlewit, there are two sisters named Charity and Mercy, who are known as Cherry and Merry.
 In the musical Sweet Charity the title character, Charity Hope Valentine, is an all too charitable girl with a heart of gold. In the novel"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" Charity Burbage is a Muggle Studies teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and in Two Broke Girls there's an Aunt Charity who's not very charitable.
 Charity was in the Top 500 in the 1880's and 1890's, remained in the Top 1000 until 1927 when it dropped from sight, then reappeared in 1968. For a period in the 1970's and eighties, Charity was a Top 300 name.

Charity

Chivalry isn't dead, and what better way to prove it than by bestowing it as a name upon a newborn?

Chivalry

Chrysalis is a girls' baby name derived from the state of a butterfly or moth between larva and adult. A chrysalis is a hard-shelled pupa in which the transition of the butterfly or moth takes place. As a baby name, Chrysalis came to the fore as the rumored name of the baby girl of Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott, who reportedly love butterflies. Chrysalis does certainly have potential as a new word name or nature name for babies, with the simple familiar nickname Chrys.

Chrysalis

One of the rarest of virtue names, Clemency could come back along with the more familiar Puritan virtue names such as Hope and Faith. It has a rhythmic three-syllable sound, and offers a more virtuous alternative to the more popular Clementine. 
 Clemence is the medieval French form, also heard occasionally in the UK. Writer Clemence Dane was born Winifred Ashton.
 Clemmie makes a cute nickname.

Clemency

Clement, the name of fourteen popes and several saints, has a pleasantly, positive, slightly antiquated feel, like the phrase "clement weather." 
 Clement C. Moore wrote the poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas," Clement Attlee was a prominent post-World War II British Prime Minister, and Clement Greenberg was the art critic who promoted Abstract Expressionism.
 The hero of Thomas Hardy's The Return of the Native is Clement Yeobright, known as Clym rather than the usual Clem.

Clement

This Puritan virtue name is unstylish, but sympathetic and appealing, in these largely uncomfortable times. 

Comfort

This Puritan virtue name may be unstylish, but it is also sympathetic and appealing in these largely uncomfortable times.

With its ties to tranquil Walden Pond, and harmonious meaning, this could be a modern virtue name. 

Concord

Constance is one of the more subtle of the virtue <a href="https://nameberry.com">baby names</a>, but still has quite a prim and proper image. One impediment to its revival has been the decidedly dated nickname Connie, though modern parents might well opt for using the strong and dignified name in full.
 One of William the Conqueror's daughters was named Constance, and in Shakespeare's King John, Constance is the devoted mother of King Arthur. Constance was widely used in the seventeenth century by Puritans: Constance Hopkins was a young passenger on the Mayflower.
 The fictional Constance Billard School appears in TV's Gossip Girl, and Constance was the first name of the decidedly non-prim and proper Lady Chatterley.
 Oscar Wilde's wife was Constance, and Mozart's spouse was the German form Constanze, nicknamed Stanzi.
 Though Constance has been neglected here for a number of years, it's still ranks at Number 120 in France.
 Trivia tidbit: Constance was the birth name of 1940's peekaboo-hairdo star Veronica Lake and also, not surprisingly, Connie Britton.

Constance

A traditional French male name that could, with American pronunciation, become an admirable word name. 

Constant

A bold, unisex virtue name that first made the charts for boys in 1990 and girls in 2008. Millennials may associate it with the Cartoon Network show Courage the Cowardly Dog, about a timid, good-natured dog by the name.

Courage

Cool, solid, and often spiritual, Creed derives from the Latin word credo meaning "I believe". It appeared sporadically in the US Top 1000 back in the late 19th century, but remained only quietly used the 2000s. By 2016 it was back in the charts, and as of 2023, Creed is given to around 400 babies each year.
 
Referring to any set of beliefs and principles that someone follows, the word Creed is often associated with religion, specifically with a formal declaration of Christian belief. It could therefore be considered a modern Christian baby name, joining the likes of Messiah, Saint, Psalm, Chosen and Cruz - though it could easily be secular too.
 
Creed likely got a bump up the charts from the seventh movie in the Rocky series, called simply Creed, while others may be familiar with it thanks to Creed Bratton on the popular television show The Office.

Creed

Curiosity

The mythical daughter of Eros and Psyche becomes a modern-sounding word name. Danger: could be seen as X-rated. 

Delight

If Destiny is your daughter's destiny, she probably won't be the only one in her school: until 2009, Destiny was in the Top 50, with three of its alternate spellings in hot pursuit. It has since dipped a bit in popularity but is still widely used. Destiny Hope was the birth name of Miley Cyrus and Destiny Jones is the daughter or rapper Nas. 

Destiny

Adventurous word choice, but still quite a burden for a child to bear. 

Discovery

A lot to handle, but it does give a sense of openness, joy, and awe. 

Could be a sister to Trinity, Genesis, or Heaven. 

Divinity

A whimsical and serene feeling word name, bestowed to reflect the joy and perfection parents might find in their children and the ambitions they have for them. Once a fantastical and celebrity-only feeling option, Dream came into popular usage after Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna chose it for their daughter in 2016.
 
Ten times more popular than it was a decade ago, Dream was given to 920 girls — and 50 boys — in 2023, placing it in the US Top 500, where it ranks alongside Journey and Miracle. In the Top 1000 since 2017, it has since been joined by spelling variation Jream, given to surprising 350 babies each year.
 
If you love the idea of Dream but want something a little more grounded, the Irish name Aisling (or Aislinn, Ashlyn, or Ashling) also means "dream" or "vision", while Nadia and Nadine meaning "hope". If you like the dreaminess but not the popularity, there's Winsome, Whimsy, and Moon.

Dream

Deliverance

Early is a word-turned-name, pleasantly suggesting the start of a bright new day.   Of the new word and day names, Early is one of the best.

Early

Earnest

With West one of the hottest names for boys, and North the name of a high-profile celebrity baby, can East be far behind? While Easton seems to be the version of choice for this directional name -- there were 5500 boys named Easton last year, versus, um, zero named East -- we like the simplicity of the gender-neutral East, especially for a middle name.

East

North and West are easier on the ear, but this works fine if it has some significance for your family. Could be lengthened to Easton.

Eccentricity

An elegy is a poem lamenting a deceased person. As a name, it could be used by parents in remembrance of a recently deceased person or as a euphonic and unusual literary name. The original Greek could also work.

Elegy

Eloquence feels right at home with names like Cadence and Rhapsody. 

Eloquence

Extravagant virtue name which is notably the first name of the British TV detective Inspector Morse.

Endeavour

Enterprise

Epiphany is based on the ancient Greek word for a feeling or realization that comes upon you suddenly. It often relates to the divine, as in the realization that Christ is the son of God. The Feast of the Epiphany, which commemorates the visit of the Magi to the infant Jesus, takes place on January 6, ranking Epiphany among the unique <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/629/71-wonderful-names-for-january-babies">January baby names</a>. 

As word names and <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/254/spiritual-baby-names">spiritual names</a> become more popular, the attractive Epiphany becomes a more viable choice.

Epiphany

Might have a shot as a name, à la Genesis and Destiny, if it weren't for yet another perfume connection. 

Eternity

With the rising use of Eugenie and Eulalia, could literary Euphony make a debut? It certainly has a pleasant meaning and is euphonic itself.

Euphony

A pretty and modern word name for a daughter, expressing great happiness.

Euphoria

Similar in sound to Evan and Everett, Ever is an evocative word name that's currently on the rise. Used by Alanis Morissette and Souleye back in 2010, Ever was given to more than 200 boys in 2023, compared to 125 girls. 
 
As an English word name, it feels fresh and on trend, but Ever also have its roots in the Hebrew name Eber, meaning "the region beyond" and to the Germanic Eberhard, the source of Everett, meaning "wild as a boar".

Ever

A simple, unusual word name with an evocative meaning, Ever feels similar enough to Eva, Evelyn, and Everly that it shifts easily into name territory. Actor Robert Carradine was ahead of the trends when he named his now grown-up actress daughter Ever back in the 70s, while more recently, it was used by both Milla Jovovich and Owain Yeoman. 
 
A unisex name, currently used slightly more often for boys, Ever is on the rise across the board. Given to around 125 girls and 200 boys in 2023, Ever is a whimsical name that's grounded by its familiar, name-y sounds, and its ties to the Hebrew name Eber and to the Germanic Eberhard, the source of Everett.

Faith is one of the most straightforward of the virtue names popularized by the Puritans in the seventeenth century, many parents still choosing it as an indicator of their religious conviction. Faith peaked in 2002 at Number 48.
 Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban are the parents of a daughter they called Faith, little sister for Sunday -- a sibset suitable for a minister's brood. A prominent adult bearer is country singer Faith Hill.

Faith

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.
 Two nicknames for Felicity: Flick and Fee. Other forms include Felicia and Felice.

Felicity

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. 

Fidelity

Fleet is one of the uncountable number of new word name possibilities, and a particularly cool choice at that.  Connoting speed, Fleet beats Rush any day.  Might be short for Fleetwood, but we prefer it on its own.

Fleet

Flint is one of the new macho names on the rise today, part old-school tough guy, part rebel. You won't find a tougher, steelier-sounding name; it's part of a genre on the rise along with cousins Slate, Stone and Steel. 
 Flint found itself on the popularity list for a few years in 1959-60, but would prove a distinctive choice today.
 Flint has superhero overtones--there's one in "Spiderman"--aka Sandman--and Captain Flint was a Marvel comic, and Flint is both a legendary pirate and a parrot in Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. But on the softer side, there's also inventor Flint Lockwood in Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.

Flint

Fortitude is the kind of virtue name the Puritans favored, but would not be easy for a modern boy to carry. Stick with something a little simpler than Fortitude, like Justice or True.

Fortitude

Foster is one commonly heard last name that makes a fine first. The word foster means "to nourish" — as in "fostering hope", or "fostering a relationship". The only problem with Foster might be its association with "foster child."
 There are numerous notable last-named Fosters, including composer Stephen, actresses Jodie and Sutton, architect Norman, and comic strip artist Hal, creator of "Prince Valiant."

Foster

Like Justice and Peace, this word name makes a very strong statement. Ving Rhames chose it for his boy. 

Freedom

Name that makes a strong philosophical statement -- but might ironically be a lot for a child to carry.

Ferocity

Freewill

Grace, a simple and pure virtue name which originally referred to divine grace, is a fashionable classic. In the early 2000s, it seemed headed for the Top 10 but pulled back from the upward trajectory, which you may consider a very good thing.

Grace is one of the most luminous of names, recalling the cool elegance of Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco. Embraced by Americans of the Victorian era, it was the eleventh most popular name in this country in 1875 and has always ranked among the Top 1000 girl names.

Currently, Grace is the Number 1 girls’ name in Ireland, and ranks highly in other English-speaking countries. In the US, it’s one of the most popular one-syllable middle names for girls.
 
Grace is derived from gratia, the Latin word for "grace." It existed as Gracia in the Middle Ages but was not in common use until the Puritans adopted it along with other Christian attribute names in the sixteenth century. It was used as a <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/373/virtue-names">virtue name</a>, in reference to divine grace — the love and kindness of God.
 
If Grace is too overused for you, consider an international variation like Engracia or Graziella. Some parents have even migrated into the gender neutral camp in search of Grace equivalents such as Gray or Grayson or even Gracelyn. Choosing the nickname Gracie for the birth certificate is a popular option.

Grace

Spacey. Gravity will probably be too heavy and grave -- sorry -- for most parents. But one possible exception might be big fans of Alfonso Cuaron's 2013 movie Gravity. And astrophysicists.

Gravity

Hallow is a word meaning sacred or holy. As the root word for Halloween (orginally All Hallows' Eve), this name might be an evocative choice for a baby born on or near October 31st. It could work well for either a boy or a girl and offers the nicknames Hal and Halley.

Hallow

If you like names that are not really names -- some say, the wave of the future -- Harbor has an attractive sound as well as an appealing meaning and image. 

Harbor

If Melody and Lyric are on your style sheet, the peaceful Harmony, popularized by Buffy the Vampire Slayer, should be too. 

Girls names starting with the "Har" sound like Harper, Harley, and Harlow have been trending in recent years. This musical choice fits right in, and it is no wonder that Harmony has been in the Top 200 since 2014.

Harmony

Free and fun name if you don't want to be pinned down to Noelle, Pasqua, or Valentine. 

Holiday

A classic virtue name for girls stretching back to the Pilgrim times, in more recent years, Honor has become one of the <a href="https://nameberry.com/unisex-names">unisex baby names</a> with a near-even gender split. Rarely used on boys before the 2010s, it has nearly doubled in use over the last decade.
 
Honor is quality that is universally admiral and a majority of parents would want their child to know and do what is morally right. Honor therefore fits any gender and it sounds and looks enough like Connor, Valor, or Hector that it feels grounded and wearable.
 
Given to 110 boys in 2023 and 100 girls, notable bearers include artist Honor Titus and football player Honor Jackson while playwright and novelist Honoré de Balzac had a French variant.

Honor

Honor is a somewhat more straight-laced virtue name than Hope or Grace, placing a high standard on any girl carrying it, but it's a goal worth setting. By choosing Honor for her daughter, Jessica Alba brought it very much into the modern world. 
 
Honor has become popular as a nonbinary name, given to nearly equal numbers of girls and boys but not ranking in the Top 1000 for either.
 
Probably the best known bearer is British actress Honor Blackman, remembered for her roles in The Avengers and the James Bond Goldfinger.
 The more feminine Honora is also pretty and a fresh route to Nora. In another variation, Honoria Blake is a character in the Dickens novel Bleak House, Honoria Brady is the hero's cousin in the 1844 novel The Luck of Barry Lyndon by W. M. Thackeray and Honoria Glossop, a character in the Jeeves stories by P. G. Wodehouse.

An unassuming virtue, that is also a surname name.

Humble

Infinity is a name that could have a long, bright future ahead of it, with its bold meaning and fashionable sound. It's an awful lot of name to pull off, but if Destiny can do it...

Infinity

Inspiration might inspire some as a middle name choice. 

Inspiration

Integrity may be an outstanding quality, but Honor or True may work better as names. 

Integrity

Industry

Journey is one of the hot new <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/254/spiritual-baby-names">spiritual names</a>. Although Journey was given in 2015 to over 1100 baby girls and fewer than 100 baby boys, it's more visible on the celebrity baby scene as a boys' name: Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green just chose the name for their third son, who also has the unisex middle name River.

Journey

One of the new word names, appealing to parents attracted to the idea of a spiritual -- or even an actual -- voyage. The Journee spelling is also being used. Unisex alert: Jenna Jameson used Journey for one of her twin boys, as did the Black Eyed Peas rock musician known as Taboo.
 Some might associate it with the San Francisco rock band Journey.

Joy is from an older generation of word names, which also included Merry, Bliss, and Glory -- all of which exert a certain amount of personality pressure on a child. However, Joy, like Grace, Hope, and Rose, has crossed more into name-territory than other word choices, which lightens some of that pressure.
 Joy began to be used as a name by the seventeenth century Puritans, with the idea of "being joyful in the Lord." It came into more general use in the late nineteenth central, part of the revival of virtue names. Her high point was in 1974, when she reached Number 109 on the <a href="https://nameberry.com/popular-names">popular names</a> charts. Joy has also been often used as a middle name. Two recent bearers: comedian/TV personality Joy Behar and Joy Mangano, the inventor whose life was the basis of Oscar-nominated biopic Joy, starring Jennifer Lawrence.

Justice, one of the rare virtue names for boys, entered the popularity ranks in 1992, and has remained on the list ever since. Parents' search for names implying virtue has led to a mini-revival of this long-neglected name in both its German homonymic form, Justus, and as the word itself. Steven Seagal was ahead of the curve when he used it back in 1976.
 Another plus: Justice is one of the truest nonbinary names, given to nearly equal numbers of girls and boys in the US.
 With the Justus spelling, it was the name of several saints and noted scholars and scientists.

Justice

Justice is a fashionable word name, used for both girls and boys. Justice has the distinction of being a virtue name without the religious implications of Faith or Grace. It still feels more male than female, perhaps partly due to the classic Roman name Justus, but Justice has become a more common pick for girls in recent years. 

Jubilant

Jubilation

One of the boastful, ultra-modern word names soaring in popularity right now. Though it's a bit more popular for girls than boys -- the "cy" ending reads a little feminine -- it's solidly unisex, with over 100 baby boys being named Legacy in 2017. This is one of the many uplifting words that make <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/562/cool-unique-unisex-names">unique unisex names</a>.

Legacy

Legacy is proof that any attractive-sounding word can be turned into a name, and this one has the added attractions of an inspirational meaning and a cool creative namesake -- hot young artist Legacy Russell.

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 was probably the mid-19th Century when it became popular in the aftermath of the US Civil War, particularly among African-American freedmen. Liberty was also popular following the American War of Independence and even among some Puritan colonies. Some quirky parents may have considered using this name in the wake of the successful film Juno – Juno’s younger sister is called Liberty-Bell.

Liberty

Loyal is one of the few <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/373/virtue-names">virtue names</a> suitable for boys, an honorable and principled Boy Scout-esque appellation with a surprisingly long and distinguished history.
 Loyal was a mid-list name at the end of the nineteenth century, reaching Number 555 in 1890. It has been on hiatus since 1948--and this might be the moment to bring it back as an unusual but usable choice with real meaning. Loyal probably originally signified devotion to country rather than person, but in either case, fidelity is a great attribute to impart to a child. And who knows?--maybe Loy could be the new Roy.

Loyal

This unusual word name means a song sung to put infants to sleep, from the components lull as in calm and by as in goodbye. While it's not on record as being used for any actual babies in the US, it's a rhythmic choice and one of those <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/317/unique-baby-names">unique baby names</a> with more mainstream nicknames such a Lula and Bee.

Lullaby

Associated with poetry, pop music, and the Greek lyre, Lyric has a light and zippy sound to it and joins the likes of Melody, Harmony, Cadence, and Aria as musical names that have become baby names. A unisex name, it is currently three times more popular for girls in the US where it sits in the Top 600. It has declined in use since its 2014 peak, but was still given to around 560 girls in a recent year.


Lyric

Lament

A melodious choice big in the sixties, Melody is now starting to pick up tempo again. It cracked the Top 150 for the first time ever in 2015. Melody is also the name of Ariel's equally curious and more tom-boyish daughter in The Little Mermaid sequel. Read more about Melody and other <a href="https://nameberry.com/blog/disney-princess-names">Disney Princess Names</a> in our featured blog.

Melody

The quality of mercy makes this lovely Puritan virtue name a quiet favorite today. Although it was most popular in the late nineteenth century, Mercy is on its way to a comeback -- it rose 143 spots between 2012 and 2013, making it one of the year's fastest-rising names. Right now, it's still stylish and distinctive, a rare and wonderful combination.
 Mercy is one of the characters with allegorical names in John Bunyan's A Pilgrim's Progress, and Mercy Pecksniff appears in Dickens's novel Martin Chuzzlewit with the nickname Merry. Mercy Lewis, in Arthur Miller's play The Crucible, was based on a real-life person, a witness at the Salem witch trials. Another historic Mercy is Mercy Warren, Revolutionary period patriot and writer of plays, books and poetry.
 Comic/sidekick Andy Richter, when he named his daughter Mercy, joked, "Just in case Puritanism comes back, we'll be ready with a real Puritan name"; Madonna renamed her Malawi-born daughter Mercy James. As a word name and modern virtue name, it's one of the most fashionable <a href="https://nameberry.com/baby-names/501/english-names-for-girls">English names for girls</a>.

Mercy

Merritt is an English surname but spelled Merit it becomes a word name. Both variations are on the rise.

Merit

Short, concise, and cheerful, Merit is a name with several possible roots. From its English origins, it could be viewed as a virtue name, celebrating commendable good behaviour. Equally, it could be seen as a streamlined form of Merritt, an Old English surname meaning "boundary". Rising in the US, albeit slowly, Merit may be given to more babies in coming years, due to the recent interest in unusual virtue names, last names as first names, and for word names.
 
Alternatively, Merit can be used as a variation of the Estonian Maret or the Swedish Marit, both of which ultimately derive from the classic Margaret. In this case, the name would mean "pearl".
 
Finally, Merit (also spelled Meryt) was an Ancient Egyptian name, derived from mryt meaning "beloved one". It is the feminine form of mrj or Meri, meaning "loved" or "desired". This could then link the name to the Biblical Mary, which some scholars believe came from the same Egyptian root, to mean "beloved".

Pretty sound, provocative meaning, but a little over-the-top. 

Mystery

Maybe

Menace

tempestinateapot's list "Tiefling names" of 156 great name ideas: Alchemy - Wild!

Tiefling names

Tiefling characters in the Dungeons and Dragons multiverse frequently choose unusual names for themselves, often based on values and other abstract nouns.