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

Adora

Sympathetic new twist on a Puritan virtue name. 

Affinity

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. 

Alchemy

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. 
 Amity is a neglected gem that could make a distinctive namesake for an Aunt Amy.

Amity

Your daughter will like this better at twenty than she will at fifty. 

Antiquity

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.
THE celebrity baby name of the moment, August was chosen by both Princess Eugenie and Mandy Moore for their baby boys in early 2021. Before that, August had been heating up in Hollywood – used by Mariska Hargitay and Peter Hermann, Lena Olin, Dave Matthews and Jeanne Tripplehorn for their sons
August is the only truly popular month name for boys. The month of August was named after the Emperor Augustus.
 August has two august literary namesakes: the Swedish playwright August Strindberg (it has always been a popular name in Scandinavia), and August Wilson, as well as photographer August Sander.
 The French version is Auguste (ow-GOOST), as in Edgar Allan Poe's clever detective Auguste Dupin and famed sculptor Auguste Rodin.

August

Audacity

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. 

Beloved

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.

Bliss

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.

Bravery

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.

Chance

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. 

Charisma

Cheerful

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.
 Clarity is preferable to Charity and definitely to Chastity, with the possibility of Clare as a short form.

Clarity

Clement, the name of fourteen popes and several saints, has a pleasantly, positive, slightly antiquated feel, like the phrase "clement weather." 
 Clement C. Moore wrote the poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas," Clement Attlee was a prominent post-World War II British Prime Minister, and Clement Greenberg was the art critic who promoted Abstract Expressionism.
 The hero of Thomas Hardy's The Return of the Native is Clement Yeobright, known as Clym rather than the usual Clem.

Clement

Clementine is a Nameberry favorite that broke back into the US Top 1000 in 2014 after more than half a century off the list. 
 A female variation of the more-unusual Clement, Clementine's meaning suggests peace and happiness, a lovely image. Other girls' names with similar meanings include Beatrice, Felicity, Hilary, Arcadia, Irina, and Mercy.
 If "Oh, My Darlin'" still rings too loudly in your ears, consider pronouncing Clementine as Clementeen—or even using Clementina, which rhymes with Christina. Stylish Claudia Schiffer chose Clementine for her daughter, as did Ethan Hawke and Rachel Griffiths. 
 Kate Winslet played a character named Clementine in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. And for a kid reference—there's a Muppet named Clementine.

Clementine

This name of the goddess of peace creates a lovely ideal. 

Concordia

Creedence

Curiosity

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

Discovery

A lot to handle, but it does give a sense of openness, joy, and awe. 

Could be a sister to Trinity, Genesis, or Heaven. 

Divinity

Earnest

Eccentricity

Extravagant virtue name which is notably the first name of the British TV detective Inspector Morse.

Endeavour

Might have a shot as a name, à la Genesis and Destiny, if it weren't for yet another perfume connection. 

Eternity

Euphoria

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.
 Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban are the parents of a daughter they called Faith, little sister for Sunday -- a sibset suitable for a minister's brood. A prominent adult bearer is country singer Faith Hill.

Faith

Felicity is as accessible a virtue name as Hope and Faith, but much more feminine -- and dare we say, happier. The hit TV show did a lot to soften and modernize the once buttoned-up image of Felicity, and it got further notice as the red-haired Colonial doll, Felicity Merriman, in the American Girl series. A current bearer is actress Felicity Huffman.
 Two nicknames for Felicity: Flick and Fee. Other forms include Felicia and Felice.

Felicity

Fidelity is an admirable virtue, yes, but as a name it tends to sound like a financial institution.  Faith, Honor, or Patience would be easier to live with than Fidelity. 

Fidelity

Forever

Fortitude is the kind of virtue name the Puritans favored, but would not be easy for a modern boy to carry. Stick with something a little simpler than Fortitude, like Justice or True.

Fortitude

Ferocity

Frith

Full-hearted new virtue choice, though five syllables is a lot to handle. 

Generosity

Glory sounds fresh and uplifting and a lot more modern than Gloria (which is definitely feeling the stirrings of a revival, though some might still view it as a terminal Old Lady name).  Glory, as in "Glory Be" and "Old Glory," has both a religious and a patriotic flavor.

Glory

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.

Grace is one of the most luminous of names, recalling the cool elegance of Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco. Embraced by Americans of the Victorian era, it was the eleventh most popular name in this country in 1875 and has always ranked among the Top 1000 girl names.

Currently, Grace is the Number 1 girls’ name in Ireland, and ranks highly in other English-speaking countries. In the US, it’s one of the most popular one-syllable middle names for girls.
 
Grace is derived from gratia, the Latin word for "grace." It existed as Gracia in the Middle Ages but was not in common use until the Puritans adopted it along with other Christian attribute names in the sixteenth century. It was used as a <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/373/virtue-names">virtue name</a>, in reference to divine grace — the love and kindness of God.
 
If Grace is too overused for you, consider an international variation like Engracia or Graziella. Some parents have even migrated into the gender neutral camp in search of Grace equivalents such as Gray or Grayson or even Gracelyn. Choosing the nickname Gracie for the birth certificate is a popular option.

Grace

Spacey. Gravity will probably be too heavy and grave -- sorry -- for most parents. But one possible exception might be big fans of Alfonso Cuaron's 2013 movie Gravity. And astrophysicists.

Gravity

Hardy is a spirited and durable un-Germanic German surname that is starting to be used in this country. 
 British fashion designer Hardy Amies (born Edwin) is its best known bearer, and Thomas Hardy could make a literary namesake--as might the old Hardy Boys series of adventure books for young boys.

Hardy

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.

Harmony

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. 
 
Honor has become popular as a nonbinary name, given to nearly equal numbers of girls and boys but not ranking in the Top 1000 for either.
 
Probably the best known bearer is British actress Honor Blackman, remembered for her roles in The Avengers and the James Bond Goldfinger.
 The more feminine Honora is also pretty and a fresh route to Nora. In another variation, Honoria Blake is a character in the Dickens novel Bleak House, Honoria Brady is the hero's cousin in the 1844 novel The Luck of Barry Lyndon by W. M. Thackeray and Honoria Glossop, a character in the Jeeves stories by P. G. Wodehouse.

Honor

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. 
 Hope, along with Faith and Charity, is one of the three theological virtues, first used as a Christian name in the seventeenth century by the Puritans. Hope and Faith have often been given to twins.
 There have been characters named Hope on four different soap operas. The TV show Raising Hope was about, yes, raising a child named Hope--formerly named Princess Beyonce. Brad Garrett has a daughter named Hope.

Hope

Infinity is a name that could have a long, bright future ahead of it, with its bold meaning and fashionable sound. It's an awful lot of name to pull off, but if Destiny can do it...

Infinity

Inspiration might inspire some as a middle name choice. 

Inspiration

Integrity may be an outstanding quality, but Honor or True may work better as names. 

Integrity

One of the new word names, appealing to parents attracted to the idea of a spiritual -- or even an actual -- voyage. The Journee spelling is also being used. Unisex alert: Jenna Jameson used Journey for one of her twin boys, as did the Black Eyed Peas rock musician known as Taboo.
 Some might associate it with the San Francisco rock band Journey.

Journey

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. One interesting name that means the same thing: Chara.
 Joy began to be used as a name by the seventeenth century Puritans, with the idea of "being joyful in the Lord." It came into more general use in the late nineteenth central, part of the revival of virtue names. Her high point was in 1974, when she reached Number 109 on the <a href="https://nameberry.com/popular-names">popular names</a> charts. Joy has also been often used as a middle name. Two recent bearers: comedian/TV personality Joy Behar and Joy Mangano, the inventor whose life was the basis of Oscar-nominated biopic Joy, starring Jennifer Lawrence.

Jubilee has a joyous and jubilant aura, but it wouldn't be an easy name to carry, what with all that pressure to be a living, breathing, 24-7 party. Jubilee was the name selected by television's Duggars for their miscarried child.

Jubilee

Justice, one of the rare virtue names for boys, entered the popularity ranks in 1992, and has remained on the list ever since. Parents' search for names implying virtue has led to a mini-revival of this long-neglected name in both its German homonymic form, Justus, and as the word itself. Steven Seagal was ahead of the curve when he used it back in 1976.
 Another plus: Justice is one of the truest nonbinary names, given to nearly equal numbers of girls and boys in the US.
 With the Justus spelling, it was the name of several saints and noted scholars and scientists.

Justice

Less common than other virtue names, Liberty is nonetheless a name with a long American heritage. Liberty is seeing a level of popularity not seen since the end of the First World War, but its heyday was probably the mid-19th Century when it became popular in the aftermath of the US Civil War, particularly among African-American freedmen. Liberty was also popular following the American War of Independence and even among some Puritan colonies. Some quirky parents may have considered using this name in the wake of the successful film Juno – Juno’s younger sister is called Liberty-Bell.

Liberty

Lore

Lucidity

Marvel, now a character name in The Hunger Games series, was a miracle name of yesterday, on the girls' Social Security list until 1941 and reaching a high of 487 at the turn of the last century, when Marva was also in style. 
 These days it does have something of a comic book feel, what with Marvel Comics, Captain Marvel and Mary Marvel, and despite the fact that Marvel is a male character in The Hunger Games, we can see some parents reviving this name for their own little marvel of a baby girl. That's what rocker Pete Wentz, dad of creatively-named sons Bronx Mowgli and Saint Laszlo, did recently when he named his daughter Marvel Jane.

Marvel

It's ironic that the name Maverick is not such a maverick anymore. Heard first in a 1950s James Garner western TV series, and then as the Tom Cruise character in Top Gun, Maverick symbolizes an unfettered, free spirit. 

In fact, Maverick is the name of the <a href="https://nameberry.com/dna/type/maverick">Baby Name DNA type</a> that's the least conventional and the most adventurous. But the name Maverick is far too popular to appeal to someone whose Baby Name DNA type is Maverick.

Maverick

She'd better be. Merry is one of the classic <a href="https://nameberry.com/list/412/christmas-baby-names">names for Christmas babies</a>.

Merry

Like Penn Jillette, you can have your own little brash babe. 

Moxie

Patience is a passive virtue turned engaging name, fresher than Hope, Faith, or even Charity. Its resemblance to the trendy Payton may be one reason for its recent spike in popularity.
 Common in the seventeenth century, Patience is the eponymous heroine of a Gilbert & Sullivan comic operetta. In literature, Patience appears in Shakespeare's Henry VIII and in an Anthony Trollope novel.
In the 2004 film Catwoman, the non-superhero name of the protagonist, played by Halle Berry, is Patience Phillips--which may have caused the name's bump in popularity two years later.

Patience

Far-fetched, but friends can always call him Phil. 

Philosophy

Forget Patience and Charity: Here's a Colonial name (and sentiment) that seems perfect for modern times.

Prosperity

Prudence, like Hope and Faith, is a Puritan virtue name with a quiet charm and sensitivity that is slowly returning to favor, though it hasn't yet registered on the charts.
 The White Album Beatles song Dear Prudence was written for Prudence Farrow, sister of Mia, who was with them in India when studying with the Marahishi Mahesh Yogi, seeking enlightenment.
 One notable historic bearer is Prudence Crandall, a 19th century Quaker schoolteacher who stirred controversy by admitting an African-American student. In pop culture, Prudence Halliwell was one of the three witches on Charmed, sister to Piper and Phoebe.
 Asset: Sweet nickname Pru/Prue.

Prudence

Quintessence

Provocative word name that may strike the right chord for an adventurous baby namer.

Reason

Asking for trouble. Rebel Wilson is female, but this name is truly gender neutral, though hardly neutral in any other way. Rebel is undoubtedly one of the edgiest <a href="https://nameberry.com/search/boys-names/r">boys' names starting with the letter R</a>.

 American filmmaker Robert Rodriguez gave the name Rebel to one of his four sons (a brother to Rocket, Racer, Rogue, and daughter Rhiannon).

Rebel

Reverie is a strong-sounding word for an ethereal, dreamlike state -- a perfect contrast and meaning for a word that intends to become a first name. Popular mommy blogger Rebecca Woolf of Girls Gone Child named one of her twin daughters Reverie, setting off a groundswell of interest.

Reverie

Sage is an evocatively fragrant herbal name that also connotes wisdom, giving it a double advantage. It entered the Top 1000 at about the same time for both genders in the early 1990s, but it has pulled ahead for the girls. Toni Collette named her daughter Sage Florence.
 The Greeks and Romans wrote that the smoke from burned sage leaves imparted wisdom, and in the tenth century, Arab physicians said that sage brought about immortality, or at the very least, a long and healthy life.
 In Vampire Diaries, Sage is a beautiful vampire possessing super strength and speed.

Sage

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. 
A virtue name of Latin origin, Serenity means “peaceful” or “tranquil.” The pretty, melodic sounds reflect that, but it isn’t a meek or retiring name; it has plenty of flair too and a hint of breezy confidence. 
Used occasionally from the 70’s onwards, Serenity entered the US Top 1000 in 1997, and by 2009, it was in the Top 100, where it has stayed ever since. 
While recent years have seen it begin to drop back down the charts, it has fared better than its once popular virtue cousins, Destiny and Trinity. Given to nearly 3000 girls every year, it remains in the Top 100 for now. 
Notable pop culture references for Serenity include a character in the Sailor Moon franchise and the title of the 2005 movie spinoff of the TV show, Firefly. 
If you like the vibes of Serenity but worry about the expectations it brings with it (or just concerned it will guarantee that your child is the least tranquil child to ever exist), then you could consider the less wordy and more international variant, Serena. 
You could also take a look at <a href=“https://nameberry.com/list/411/baby-names-that-mean-peace”>names that mean peace</a> but aren’t in your face about it, such as Irina, Shiloh, or Fenna.

Serenity

The Puritans used it as a virtue name -- but today it would just be considered weird: silence is no longer golden. 

Silence

Reminiscent of Puritan and Pilgrim name choices, Sincere is a relatively modern virtue name that has been in the US Top 1000 since the 2000s.
 
Derived from the Latin word sincerus meaning "pure and clean", Sincere is associated with being honest, acting from the heart, and feeling deeply - qualities many parents hope their children grow up to possess.
 
The name was given to nearly 500 boys in 2023, placing it within the Top 600, and while the name does feel bold, it also fits in besides Chosen, Loyal, and Boone.

Sincere

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

Sincerity

Synergy

Not too long ago, Temperance was found only on lists of Puritan <a href="https://nameberry.com">baby names</a>.
 
With increased increase in virtue names, and Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan on long-running television series Bones, this name has experienced a surprising revival.

Temperance

A would-be up-and-comer if it wasn't for the spiked seltzer brand.

Truly

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 Ross, the word name is edging up on the Top 1000.

Truth

Tranquility

Transcendence

Troth

Valiant

Honor and bravery are certainly virtues any parent would want to encourage, and this word itself is obscure enough that it manages to sound like a real name.


Valor

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.
 We love the newer sounding three-syllable, 'y'-ending virtue names, and Verity is one of the best.

Verity

Vitality

Sweet, modern descriptive name, but perhaps a little too cute for its own good. 

Winsome

A bit too self-congratulatory and, understandably, exceedingly rare. Still, if you're looking for a modern virtue name for your daughter, this may be one of the best qualities to exemplify.

Wisdom

No low self-esteem for this kid, or so his parents hope. 

Worth

Winning

Zeal

ScarlettRobin's list "Virtue & Concept Names" of 85 great name ideas: Adora - Zeal!

Virtue & Concept Names

Virtue/concept names both old fashioned and modern, some horrific and some lovely.