Category Archives: Virtue Names

Felicity

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The name comes directly from the English word for happiness and the Latin word felicitas of the same meaning. It was borne by an early Christian saint and martyr and later became a common name among American puritans.

In Ancient Rome, Felicitas was the personification of luck and fortune.

Currently, Felicity ranked in as the 764th most popular female name in the United States, (2010). It was the name of late 1990s television series and is also the name of one of the original American Girls in the American Girl series of books which recounts the day and a life of a 18th-century American girl living in colonial Williamsburg.

Other forms of the name include:

Felicitat (Catalan)

Félicité (French)

Felicitas/Felizitas (German)
Felicitás (Hungarian)
Felicitász (Hungarian)
Felìcita (Italian)
Felicitas (Latin)
Felicyta (Polish)
Felicidade (Portuguese)
Felicidad (Spanish)

A common 18th-century diminutive was Flick.

Source

  1. http://www.behindthename.com/name/felicity

Patience

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Gender: Feminine
Origin: English

She is the quintessential Puritan name, however, evidence suggest the name has been in usage far longer than early Colonial America.

It was popularized as a given name by early Christians, the Greeks referred to Constantine’s mother, St. Helen as Ypomoni (Patience). It was Latinized as Patientia and is found as the name of an early Christian martyr.

Its popularity was only enhanced later by the Puritans.

It is currently the 800th most popular female name in the United States, (2010).

Other forms of the name include:

Patientia (Latin)
Patience (French/English)
Ypomoni (Greek)
Pazienza (Italian)

Paciencia (Spanish)

Source

  1. http://www.behindthename.com/name/patience

Prudence

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Gender: Feminine
Origin: English/French
Meaning: “prudence.”

The name is ultimately derived from the Latin Prudentia a feminine form of the Late Latin, Prudentius, which is derived from the Latin prudens meaning, “prudent, good judgment.”

The name was borne by a few early Christian martyrs and was in usage in Europe during the Middle Ages. It was revived in the 17th-century by the Puritans.

Other forms of the name include:

  • Prudència (Catalan)
  • Prudence (English/French)
  • Prudenzia (Italian)
  • Prudenziana (Italian)
  • Prudentia (Late Latin)
  • Prudentiana (Late Latin)
  • Prudencia (Spanish)

A common English short form is Prue.

Male forms include: Prudenzio (Italian) Prundentius (Late Latin), Prudencio (Spanish).

In the 1960s, the Beatles penned the famous pop song, Dear Prudence.

The designated name-day is May 6 (France).

Sources

  1. http://www.behindthename.com/namedays/search.php?terms=prudence
  2. http://www.askoxford.com/firstnames/prudence?view=uk

Modest, Modeste

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: Latin
Meaning: “modesty”
Eng (MOD-est); Fre (mo-DEST)

The name is form the Latin, Modestus, which means, “modest.” It was borne by several Christian saints. In France, its designated name-day is February 24.

Other forms include:

  • Modest Модест (English/Polish/Russian)
  • Modesto (Italian/Portuguese/Spanish)
  • Modestus (Dutch/Latin)

Modya and Desya are Russian diminutive forms.

Feminine forms include the French, Modestine and the Spanish, Modesta.

Faith

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Gender: Feminine
Origin: English
Meaning: from the word

The name comes directly from the English abstract virtue noun.

Many sources suggest that Faith was not in usage as a given name till the 17th-century, when this and other virtue names became prevalent among the adherents of Puritanical Protestantism, but Faith as a given name has existed since at least the early Middle Ages , as it is the name of at least two early Christian female saints.

One early legend is found in both the Orthodox and Catholic churches, of three Greek sisters named Hope, Faith and Charity, who were martyred in the 3rd-century C.E.

Another Saint attributed with the name is Saint Foy or Saint Faith of Agen. According to legend, St. Faith was tortured to death by a hot brazier, under the reign of Diocletian in Aquitaine. The Cançon de Santa Fe is credited to be one of the earliest known works to be written in the Catalan language. The poem celebrates St. Faith in 593 octosyllabic lines.

Its Spanish and French forms were in usage on the Continent since the early Middle Ages.

Currently, Faith is 91st most popular female name in the United States, (2008). Her rankings in other countries are as follows:

  • # 80 (Canada, B.C., 2008)
  • # 80 (England/Wales, 2008)
  • # 269 (the Netherlands, 2009)

Other forms include:

  • Fe (Catalan/Spanish: FEH)
  • Foi/Foy (French)
  • Fede (Italian)
  • Fides (Latin)
  • Wiara/Wiera (Polish: used in reference to St. Faith)
  • Vera Вера (Russian: usually used in reference to St. Faith)

Designated name-days are October 6, (France).

Sources

  1. http://saints.sqpn.com/saint-faith-6-october/
  2. Hallam, Elizabeth (ed.) (1994). Saints: Who They Are and How They Help You. New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 91.
  3. http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/73325
  4. Luca Robertini, ed. Liber miraculorum sancte Fidis. (Biblioteca di Medioevo Latino, 10.) Spoleto: Centro Italiano di Studi sull’Alto Medioevo, 1994; an English translation is The Book of Sainte Foy. Translated with an introduction and notes by Pamela Sheingorn. (University of Pennsylvania Press: Philadelphia) 1995.
  5. Ashley, Kathleen M.; Sheingorn, Pamela (1999). Writing faith: text, sign & history in the miracles of Sainte Foy. University of Chicago Press. p. 33.
  6. Butler, Alban; Farmer, David Hugh; Burns, Paul (2000). Butler’s Lives of the Saints. Liturgical Press. p. 139.
  7. http://www.behindthename.com/php/find.php?name=faith
  8. http://www.askoxford.com/firstnames/faith?view=uk

Grace

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Gender: Feminine
Origin: English
Meaning: comes directly from the word

Grace is an English given name derived from the Latin, gratia. It has been in usage since the Middle Ages, but was further popularized during the 17th-century, especially among Puritans.

Among Christians, the name is usually used in reference to the divine grace of God.

Currently, Grace is the 4th most popular female name in the United Kingdom/Wales (2008) and the 21st most popular in the United States.

The lowest she has ever ranked in United States naming history was in 1977 coming in as the 397th most popular female name. The highest she has ranked so far was in 1883-1884, coming in as the 13th most popular female name and again in 2004-2003.

In the United States, she is probably one of the most popular middle name options on girls.

Her rankings in other countries are as follows:

# 14 (Australia, 2007)
# 5 (Tasmania, Australia, 2009)
# 18 (Canada, B.C., 2008)
# 7 (Ireland, 2008)
# 10 (Isle of Man, 2008)

The name is also borne by a few Christian saints, one of whom was an early Cornish saint.

Cognates for Grace include:

  • Grâce (French)
  • Gratienne (French)
  • Gratia (German/Latin)
  • Grazia (Italian)
  • Graziana (Italian)
  • Graziella (Italian)
  • Grazietta (Italian)
  • Grazina (Italian)
  • Graziosa (Italian)
  • Graziuccia (Italian: originally a diminutive form, used occasionally as an independent given name)
  • Zazzina (Italian: contracted form of Grazina).
  • Gracja (Polish)
  • Gracjana (Polish)
  • Graça (Portuguese)
  • Graciete (Portuguese)
  • Gracinda (Portuguese)
  • Graciana (Slovene/Spanish)
  • Gracija (Slovene)
  • Gracijela/Gracjela (Slovene)
  • Gracia (Spanish)
  • Graciella (Spanish)
  • Graciosa (Spanish)

Common Italian compositional forms are: Maria Grazia and Grazia Maria. In Spanish, its Maria Gracia, Portuguese, Maria da Graça and in English, Mary Grace. All these forms were originally used in honour of Our Lady of Grace, among Roman Catholics. Currently, Mary Grace is the 9th most popular female name in the Philippines (2006).

Italian masculine forms are: Graziano, Grazio, Graziello, Grazietto, Graziolo and Graziuccio.

A Polish masculine form is Gracjan, and there is also the Latin form of Gratian/Gratianus.

Slovene masculine forms are: Gracijano/Gracijan/Gracjano.

French male name is Gratien.

The name was borne by actress and Princess of Monaco, Grace Kelly (1929-1982).

A common English pet form is Gracie.

In France, the designated name-day is August 21st.

Kantvilas, Kantvilė

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Origin: Lithuanian
Meaning: “patient hope.”
(kahnt-VIHL-as; kahnt-VIL-ay)

The names are composed of the Lithuanian elements -kant (kantus, kantrus) meaning “patient” and vil-(viltis) meaning “hope.” Kantvilas is masculine and Kantvilė feminine. Their designated name-day is December 28.