Virtue & Concept Names

Virtue/concept names both old fashioned and modern, some horrific and some lovely.
  1. Adora
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "adored"
    • Description:

      A name that would lavish your child with adoration, a princess name--as in Princess Adora of She-Ra: Princess of Power.
  2. Affinity
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      Sympathetic new twist on a Puritan virtue name.
  3. Alchemy
    • Origin:

      Latin word name
    • Meaning:

      "a medieval chemical science"
    • Description:

      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.
  4. Amity
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "friendship"
    • Description:

      Amity--what nicer gift to give your little girl than a name that signifies friendship and harmony? This virtue name is also more rhythmic and feminine than the single-syllable Hope, Faith, and Grace.
  5. Antiquity
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      Your daughter will like this better at twenty than she will at fifty.
  6. August
    • Origin:

      German form of Latin Augustus
    • Meaning:

      "great, magnificent"
    • Description:

      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.
  7. Audacity
    • Beloved
      • Origin:

        Literary word name
      • Description:

        Toni Morrison, the modern master of literary names, made this one famous as the title character of a novel. But things didn't work out so well for that Beloved.
    • Bliss
      • Origin:

        English word name
      • Description:

        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.
    • Bravery
      • Origin:

        Virtue name
      • Description:

        This one's cutting right to the chase, but with such names as Justice and Peace on the rise, why not? And we guarantee your seven-year-old son will love it, though your 17-year-old, maybe not so much. Could be used as a middle name, as Talisa Soto and Benjamin Bratt did.
    • Chance
      • Origin:

        French variation of Chauncey
      • Description:

        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.
    • Charisma
      • Origin:

        Word name
      • Description:

        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.
    • Cheerful
      • Clarity
        • Origin:

          English virtue name
        • Meaning:

          "the quality of being clear"
        • Description:

          Clarity is one of the lightest of the newly rediscovered virtue names, with a bit of three-syllable sparkle, old-fashioned charm and a clear vision for the future. Clarity is a very desirable quality in this confusing world and it also, unlike some other newly coined word names, has real meaning and history as a name.
      • Clement
        • Origin:

          Latin
        • Meaning:

          "mild, merciful"
        • Description:

          Clement, the name of fourteen popes and several saints, has a pleasantly, positive, slightly antiquated feel, like the phrase "clement weather."
      • Clementine
        • Origin:

          French feminine version of Clement, Latin
        • Meaning:

          "mild, merciful"
        • Description:

          Clementine is a Nameberry favorite that broke back into the US Top 1000 in 2014 after more than half a century off the list.
      • Concordia
        • Origin:

          Latin
        • Meaning:

          "peace, harmony"
        • Description:

          This name of the goddess of peace creates a lovely ideal.
      • Creedence
        • Curiosity
          • Discovery
            • Origin:

              English word name
            • Description:

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