User-created list
By augusta_lee · Updated May 2023
Across 6 pages
of 6
Latin
"moral excellence"
The mother of all virtue names.
French, English
"to stay a while"
African-American and women's rights activist Sojourner Truth was born as Isabelle into enslavement. She adopted her new name when she began traveling and preaching abolition in 1843. Sojourner is a…
English word name
"whimsical or fanciful"
Whimsy is a new entry to the ever-expanding word name lexicon, sister for Pixie and Bliss. While it has an undeniable offbeat English aristocratic charm (maybe we're thinking of Dorothy Sayers'…
English
"unexpected good fortune"
A unique virtue name with a sound as happy and lively as its meaning.
Word name
Illumination is a many-syllabled entrant in the new-fashioned virtue name group, but doesn't stand much chance of rivaling shorter choices like Hope and Faith.
Forget Patience and Charity: Here's a Colonial name (and sentiment) that seems perfect for modern times.
"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.
Sound contradicts its meaning.
"agreeable, lighthearted"
A sweet, modern descriptive name, with a wholesome and winning feel, Winsome means "appealing, fresh, simple, innocent" or "cheerful and lighthearted." Some may find it a little too cutesy, but with…
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.
Word name, English from Latin
"eloquent"
If you want to give your child the gift of...gab.
Warm and open, but way too much teasing potential.
No one will ever forget it. But Remember as a name came over on the Mayflower, so it has deep history as well as modern potential.
Just is a masculine name with Latin roots, derived from the word "justus" meaning "fair" or "righteous." As a given name, it carries strong connotations of morality, integrity, and fairness. Popular…
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.
Regal is an English word name of Latin origin, stemming from 'regalis' meaning 'royal' or 'kingly.' As a female given name, Regal conveys majesty, dignity, and nobility. It's an uncommon choice that…
The Puritans used it as a virtue name -- but today it would just be considered weird: silence is no longer golden.
"courage during adversity"
Fortitude is the kind of virtue name the Puritans favored that could feel rather heavy for a modern boy. Nevertheless, with options such as Sincere, Chosen, Messiah, and Valor on the rise, perhaps in…
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.
Greek
"kingfisher bird"
Heaven, Peace, Serenity: parents seem especially attracted to word names that signal paradise, but Halcyon sounds quite feminine, and might conjure up the sleeping pill Halcion.
