Virtue Names
Virtue names express qualities a family may value, from patience and courage to joy and peace. Some have a long Christian naming history; others are modern English word names. They express a hope rather than predicting a child’s personality.
| Save name | Name & connection | History 1926–2025, yearly counts; individually scaled | Babies 2025 · rank | 5-year rank movement | Peak year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
An English word name with a long Christian naming tradition. | 5,127#38 | Down 10 rank positions in five years | 2003 | ||
A direct name for trust or religious belief. | 1,212#254 | Down 120 rank positions in five years | 2003 | ||
A direct expression of gladness. | 747#419 | Down 23 rank positions in five years | 1957 | ||
A traditional name associated with steadfastness. | 142#1,501 | Up 61 rank positions in five years | 1950 | ||
A name expressing confidence in a better future. | 868#352 | Down 149 rank positions in five years | 2000 | ||
A modern word name expressing calm. | 2,209#129 | Down 60 rank positions in five years | 2013 | ||
The English adjective for sincerity, distinct in spelling from Ernest. | 25#4,163 | Down 418 rank positions in five years | 1926 | ||
A word name associated with agreement as well as music. | 1,123#276 | Down 101 rank positions in five years | 2015 | ||
A traditional name connected with generosity and Christian love. | 97#1,981 | Down 502 rank positions in five years | 1975 | ||
A word name expressing fairness, also used for girls. | 193#1,113 | Down 455 rank positions in five years | 2002 | ||
A name connected with happiness and good fortune. | 653#473 | Down 89 rank positions in five years | 2017 | ||
A traditional name from a Latin word associated with mercy. | 62#2,262 | Up 328 rank positions in five years | 1918 | ||
A long-established name for the ability to endure and wait. | 172#1,297 | Down 217 rank positions in five years | 2006 | ||
An English word name expressing compassion and forgiveness. | 313#867 | Down 66 rank positions in five years | 2019 | ||
An English word name expressing honorable qualities. | 144#1,337 | Down 88 rank positions in five years | 1920 | ||
A traditional name expressing careful judgment. | 89#2,113 | Up 54 rank positions in five years | 1943 | ||
An English word name associated with cheerfulness. | 92#2,052 | Up 51 rank positions in five years | 2013 | ||
A name associated with moderation and self-restraint. | 94#2,034 | Down 567 rank positions in five years | 2014 | ||
A name expressing integrity and esteem. | 75#2,390 | Down 407 rank positions in five years | 2012 | ||
A compact word name expressing truthfulness. | 211#1,050 | Up 120 rank positions in five years | 2024 | ||
A name formed from the word for friendship. | 36#3,981 | Up 289 rank positions in five years | 1979 | ||
A name formed from the word for truth. | 145#1,482 | Up 140 rank positions in five years | 2025 | ||
A word name expressing courage. | 159#1,254 | Up 88 rank positions in five years | 2025 | ||
The Latin word for peace, used as a personal name. | 72#2,074 | Up 152 rank positions in five years | 2024 | ||
A traditional name associated with steadfastness. | —Unranked | — | 1918 | ||
The British spelling of the virtue name Honor. | 9#10,406 | Down 3,060 rank positions in five years | 2016 |
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Sources & methodology
Meaning summaries use Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0) and referenced name histories. Each name’s detail page includes its sources.
Membership on this list is editorial — we chose names that genuinely fit the theme. Every number is from official birth data: "—" means the name had fewer than 5 recorded uses in 2025, which makes it a genuinely rare pick today, not an invalid one. The dot marks whether the stats shown are for the girls' or boys' use of the name.