Names That Mean Faith

Kaleb is one of several boys' names starting with k that started life as a classic C name, Caleb. Kevin Federline named his boy Kaleb Michael Jackson.

Zinedine Zidane is France's biggest soccer star, spawning a legion of little Zinedines in that country.

The meaning and origin of this extremely rare name are unclear, but it may be related to the Germanic name Alvar "elf warrior", or to Allovera/Elvira "all true". Historically, it has been recorded predominantly in traveling Romani families in Britain and in the American South during the 19th century.

Classic Irish surname with a lot of character and some interesting associations: the title character of a Samuel Beckett novel and basketball great Karl Malone. Malone is a popular name for baby boys in France.

Popular with Muslim and African-American parents, this virtue name also fits in with the trendy i ending names being seen at the moment. It debuted on the US Top 1000 in 1996.

A masculine name from the Old Testament, but would likely be confused for Amy.

The usage of this Arabic name has been increasing in the US, joining the Top 1000 for the first time in 2015. Aminah bint Wahb was the mother of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

Zayah is more famous in the US in its Zaya spelling, thanks to the elder daughter of basketball great Dwyane Wade. Either way you spell it, Zayah is a name that's both unique and simple, a great combination.

Rida is a name indirectly mentioned in the Quran. While it can be used for both girls and boys, in English-speaking countries its similarity to the more common Rita makes it more appropriate for girls.

Emmett has had an interesting and unusual gender history. A long-obscure masculinization of Emma, Emmett is now rising as a boys' name as a companion to the very popular Emma and Emily. And at the same time, Emmett itself is seen by a handful of parents as a new spin for girls on those uber-popular choices. While the Emmet spelling might still seem most masculine, the extra T in Emmett does make it seem girl-appropriate. Emmette is an even more feminine spelling. But don't be too alarmed: There were over 3000 boys named Emmett in one recent year compared to only 13 girls.

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

With both the Dillon and Dylan spellings, usage of this gender-neutral names runs about ten to one boys to girls. But Dylan is used about 20 times as often as Dillon for both genders. Which might be a vote in favor of Dillon, though for better or worse, this spellings distances the name from singer Bob and poet Thomas.

With the rise of both international names and those that start with the letter V, this sharp alternative to Vera may become more familiar in the English-speaking world.

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

Frenchified name rarely used in France. And perhaps even more rarely used in the US -- there were NO baby girls given the name on the official records of 2021.

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.

The association with the Cuban leader Castro is still strong, but he's by no means the only Fidel. This name was in the Top 1000 for over 80 years, from 1919 to 2005. From the late Latin name Fidelis, meaning "faithful", at its heart it has an uplifting meaning.

Popular name in Japan in its own right, but also as a nickname for Miyako or Makiko.

Lem is a corn-cob pipe-smoking, back porch-rocking nickname name. But we predict as Sam and Gus become ho-hum, more parents will look to Lem.

More often spelled VERENA, this name is attached to a third century Swiss saint. But the "virtue" name VERITY, is more appealing and comes more directly to the point.