Emotion word names for girls

  1. Grace
    • Origin:

      English, virtue name
    • Description:

      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.
  2. Hope
    • Origin:

      Virtue name
    • Description:

      Can a name as virtuous as Hope be cool and trendy? Strangely enough -- yes. But though this optimistic Puritan favorite is experiencing substantial popularity, Hope is too pure and elegant to be corrupted, a lovely classic that deserves all the attention it's getting.
  3. Joy
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "joy"
    • Description:

      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.
  4. Trinity
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "triad"
    • Description:

      A name that feels both spiritual and trendy, Trinity surged up the charts in the early 2000s, following the release of The Matrix. In just two years, it made an impressive jump from the latter end of the charts to the US Top 100, where it remained for more than a decade.
  5. Serenity
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "peaceful"
    • Description:

      Peaceful, calm, and untroubled: these are qualities parents may be hoping for, either on their parenting journey or in their child’s life. The name Serenity encapsulates these hopes, conjuring up a sense of balance, composure, and ease.
  6. Faith
    • Origin:

      Virtue name
    • Description:

      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.
  7. Harmony
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Meaning:

      "harmony"
    • Description:

      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.
  8. Ebony
    • Origin:

      English
    • Description:

      An attractive and now underused nature name belonging to a tree whose wood is prized for its dark color and dense texture, which shines when polished. Ebony joined the most popular girl names list in the US in the early 1970s, peaked in 1982 at #132, and dropped back below the Top 1000 in 2006.
  9. Calamity
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Description:

      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.
  10. Essence
    • Origin:

      Word name, English from Greek
    • Meaning:

      "the most significant element of a thing or person"
    • Description:

      Heavily perfumed word name that peaked a few years ago.
  11. Charity
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "charity"
    • Description:

      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.
  12. Favor
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "kindness, benefit; approval, support"
    • Description:

      A warm-sounding word and virtue name used by the Puritans and still popular in parts of Africa, especially with the Favour spelling. It might be used as a nickname for the longer, perhaps even bolder form, Godfavor (as in, "favored by God").
  13. True
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "true"
    • Description:

      An inspirational and aspirational word name that evokes ideas of loyalty, faith, honesty, and accuracy, True is a unisex name, which is just slightly more popular for boys. Like an updated form of Trudy and Prue and with the virtuous feel of Grace, Faith, and Hope, True was given to around 200 girls in 2024 (and about 225 boys).
  14. Luxury
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "extravagance, opulence"
    • Description:

      A particularly opulent way to get to the nickname Lux (or Luxe), Luxury was included in our trends report for 2023 and shot to the head of Nameberry's popularity list. Because our list is based on page views, being Number 1 tends to be a self-perpetuating status, so Luxury is getting perhaps more credit as a baby name than it deserves.
  15. Blessing
    • Origin:

      Word name
    • Description:

      Blessing is among the Top 1000 girls' names 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.
  16. Serendipity
    • Origin:

      English
    • Meaning:

      "unexpected good fortune"
    • Description:

      A unique virtue name with a sound as happy and lively as its meaning.
  17. Honor
    • Origin:

      English word and virtue name
    • Meaning:

      "honor"
    • Description:

      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.
  18. Delight
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "gratification or pleasure"
    • Description:

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

      Word name
    • Description:

      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.
  20. Comfort
    • Origin:

      English word name
    • Meaning:

      "comfort"
    • Description:

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