Virtue Names

Tahira is a pretty Arabic virtue name, unusual yet accessible.

It may have been used by the Puritans, but any modern child would chafe under this name.

Heavenly, the word that's become a name, has been flirting with the bottom of the Top 1000 for a handful of years now. Heaven and cousins like Nevaeh have been well-used so adding the popular -ly suffix, ala Everly, seems like a natural progression.

Sounds pretty. But pretentious.

A warm-sounding word and virtue name used by the Puritans and still popular in parts of Africa, especially in the Favour spelling.

A modern virtue name, particularly desirable in this pressure-cooker world.

Blessed and Blessing are two new entrants in the word name and virtue name categories, gaining popularity for both boys and girls.

Able takes this name in the direction of the word denoting someone capable and handle, and that is not a bad way to go.

No one will ever forget it. But Remember as a name came over on the Mayflower, so it has deep history as well as modern potential.

Wonder is a lovely quality for a modern virtue name. With ethereal word names like Dream and Love rising fast in the charts, Wonder feels right at home.

Many virtue names have long been in style or have seen a resurgence in recent years. Happy, however joyous, seems unlikely to join this trend. This could be because it doesn't have a solid history of being popularly used (in comparison to Joy or Hope) and because it's such a familiarly used word in day to day life (unlike Verity or Felicity).

Spiritual word names are becoming more and more popular – think Peace, Bodhi, Zen and Psalm – and Spirit is among the rarer options, given to a couple dozen baby girls each year in the US. It's the name of the horse in the kids' TV show Spirit.

"Saturday Night Live" cast member Finesse Mitchell often mocks his own and similar names when portraying the character Starkeisha on the show.

Generally used in conjunction with another name to form a religious phrase -- for instance the daughter of rapper DMX is called Praise Mary Ella.

Rare word name that works for either gender.

Fortune is a middle name choice designed to generate good luck and prosperity.

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

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

Could be an unconventional route to Theo.