Names That Mean Truth

If you love Puritan virtue names and want to move beyond Hope and Faith and Grace, this is a wonderful choice, both for its meaning and its sound. A rare find here, though occasionally heard in England. It was used in Winston Graham's Poldark novels, was Madonna's name as James Bond's fencing instructor in Die Another Day, and made a brief appearance in Harry Potter. Not to mention being a fixture on British and Australian soaps. Verity also appears in one of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple mysteries.

Alethea, the name of the Greek goddess of truth, came into fashion in England in the 16th century, in tandem with the virtue names. Alethea may find new favor now as one of the goddess names stylish for baby girls.

Honest and sincere, laid-back and creative, Emmet is a male cognate of the megapopular Emma and Emily, but the more common spelling is Emmett. Emmet dropped off the US Top 1000 in 1934 and reentered the list in 2014; Emmett, on the other hand, has never been off the charts.

Unisex Japanese name more often given to boys.

With the rise of both Russian names and those that start with the letter V, this sharp Eastern European choice may become more familiar in the English-speaking world.

Looks like a pared-down Emmett, but it actually derives from a difference source.

This name of an Albanian supermodel is a short form of many Slavic choices but is an intriguing alternative to Emma on its own.

In Buddhism, Dharma embodies the basic principles of cosmic existence--making it a fitting name for the hippyish character on the sitcom Dharma and Greg, whose middle name was Freedom.

This name can have many different meanings depending the kanji used to write it. The Naruto character Asuma Sarutobi writes his name with kanji meaning "tomorrow truth."

The name of the father of Jonah in the Old Testament. Has a cool, energetic sound.

A Top 20 choice in Bosnia and Herzegovina, this is a handsome variant of Arabic Amin.

Acting couple Alyson Hannigan and Alexis Denisof chose this Sanskrit word meaning, literally, "truth vehicle" for their daughter. It has a melodic sound and strong meaning. Think of it as rhyming with the Russian Tatiana.

Name of the last king of Egypt.

Makoto is a unisex name in Japan, although many more men bear the name.

Unusual and pretty, if lispy.

Rare word name, and an unexpected way to get to Tess.

Satya can be either a feminine or masculine name. It is strongly connected to the virtue, and in order to represent "satya" one must be truthful not only in words, but also in actions and thoughts. Satya is a great name for those in the West who have Indian roots or are looking for a discreet virtue name.

In ancient Rome, Veritas was a minor goddess-personification of truth. Even non-Latin scholars may know the expression "in vino veritas": in wine, there is truth.

Satya can be either a feminine or masculine name. It is strongly connected to the virtue, and in order to have "satya" one must be truthful not only in words, but also in actions and thoughts. Satya is a great name for those in the West who have Indian roots or are looking for a discreet virtue name.

A Puritan-virtue type name that could possibly work for a modern baby with its rhythmic four-syllable sound and admirable meaning.