User-created list
Kip's List of Virtue Names
Across 4 pages
of 4
Freedom
English word name
"the quality or state of being free"
Like Justice and Peace, this word name makes a very strong statement. Ving Rhames chose it for his boy.
Harvest
English word name
"the season for gathering in agricultural crops"
Harvest has been occasionally used as a name since the eighteenth century, originally as evenly unisex, though it tips a bit in the girls' direction in the contemporary US. Given the rise of such…
Innocent
Latin
"harmless, innocent"
Innocent, the name of thirteen popes, is rarely heard in a secular setting, where its loaded meaning could open the door to ridicule.
Justice
English word name
"the quality of being just, impartial, or fair"
Justice, one of the rare virtue names for boys, entered the popularity ranks in 1992, and remained in the charts until the 2020s. While it has fallen out of favor in more recent years, it remains a…
Kindred
English word name
"family; connectedness"
This unusual English word name and surname was the middle name of American sci-fi writer Philip K. Dick, after his mother's maiden name. Its striking sound and appealing meaning make it a promising…
Liberty
English word name
"freedom"
Much more common on girls, but this virtue is occasionally given to boys too. It has the option of Bert(ie) as a nickname.
Merit
English word name
"being good or worthy; deserving of recognition"
Merritt is an English surname but spelled Merit it becomes a word name. Both variations are on the rise.
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.
Prosper
Latin
"favorable, prosperous"
In France, pronounced PRO-spare, Prosper is a fairly common name; here it presents a worthy aspirational message for a child. Prosper was the name of several early saints, including a noted fifth…
Prosperity
Word name
Forget Patience and Charity: Here's a Colonial name (and sentiment) that seems perfect for modern times.
Reason
English word name
"a statement offered in explanation or justification"
A provocative word name that may strike the right chord for an adventurous baby namer, Reason has begun to sound, well, more reasonable as a name in recent years. While it did first feature in the US…
Rejoice
Solstice
English from Latin
"when the sun stands still"
Solstice graduated from word to official first name when author Lionel Shriver used it for a character in her novel Big Brother . But of course, there were people named Solstice before: 16 baby girls…
Success
English word name
"accomplishment"
A conceptual word name that is currently unisex, although girls hold the lead in gender distribution.
Truth
English word name
"the state of being the case"
True has become an accepted first and middle name; Truth makes an even stronger statement. And with nearly 150 baby boys named Truth in the US in the most recent year counted, as many as were named…
Thankful
Unknown
Word name
"unfamiliar, not yet known"
Unknown was given to nearly 80 American babies in a recent year, but we can only hope they won't stay as such. Like Baby, Babyboy, and Infantmale, Unknown is probably used as a placeholder by parents…
Vesper
Latin
"evening star"
While this is usually thought of as a girls' name because of the Bond Girl connection, its sound is masculine and there's no reason it couldn't work for boys.
Willing
English and German surname
"son of Willa; son of Wille"
Likely to be construed as a virtue name (a nice one, at that!), even though Willing is a traditional surname with both English and German roots. As an English name, Willing is a patronymic form of…
Wonder
English word name
"surprise mingled with admiration"
A whimsy word name with similar sounds to Warren and Walker and a similar feel to Dream and Prosper, Wonder has been appearing occasionally in the US stats for girls since the 1950s, while for boys,…