Virtue Names and Their Meanings

Most virtue names are based on common etymological elements found in the language from which they derive. If you know what these elements are, they'll point you to names with the meanings you seek. Virtue names, of course, are found in every language; the majority of the ones in use today come from the Indo-European naming pool, which includes English, German, French, Spanish, and Italian. Many are also found in Hebrew and Arabic.

English and German virtue names contain one or several of the following Teutonic elements:

• Alf-, which means "elf" or "supernatural being."
• Al-, meaning “noble.”
• Bert, meaning "bright" or "famous" (it can appear at the beginning or end of a word).
• Ed-, meaning “prosperity” or “fortunate.”
• Hug-,meaning "heart," "mind," or "spirit."
• -mund, meaning "peace" or "protector."
• -rad, meaning "counsel" or "wise."
• -ric or -rich, meaning "power" or "ruler."
• Rod, meaning "fame."
• -wald, meaning "rule."
• -ward, meaning "guard."
• -win, meaning "friend."

Virtue names in Hebrew may contain these elements:

• Dan-, meaning "judge."
• El, meaning "God" (appearing at the beginning or end of a word).
• -iah and -jah, meaning "Yahweh" (the Lord).
• Jo-, also meaning "the Lord."

Greek virtue names contain these elements:

• Ander,meaning "man" (at the beginning or end).
• Doro, meaning "gift"(beginning or end).
• Theo or Thy, meaning "God" (also at beginning or end).

Slavic virtue names are based on these elements:

• Bog or Boh,meaning "God" (beginning or end).
• Jaro- meaning "firm."
• -mil, meaning "kindness" or "grace."
• -mir, meaning "peace."
• Rad meaning "happy."
• -slav or -slaw, meaning "fame" or "glory."

For Celtic names, gwen ("blessed") often appears at either the beginning or the end of virtue names.

The following lists are just a sample of the virtue names that are based on these etymological elements. They're grouped into categories according to such basic virtues and values as love, faith, strength, etc. Use them as a starting point for a virtue search of your own, or see if a virtuous name from these lists has special appeal to you.

Weathering Life's Storms

Strength of will, courage, steadfastness—these are the virtues revered throughout the centuries as the ones that get us through the twists and turns that the road of life so often contains.

Boys' Names:

• Autry: An Old English word meaning "noble strength." Its variant, Audrey, could also be used but is more feminine than masculine.
• Brian: This popular Irish name means "strength." Brice, a name that appears far less often than Brian, means the same thing.
• Ethan: A fairly popular Hebrew name that means "steadfastness" or "firmness."
• Ballard: It feels brave and strong, and that's exactly what it means.
• Erhard: Another German name, meaning "strong resolve."
• Devlin: Irish, meaning "fierce courage." Given the popularity of such names as Devon, it shouldn't be overlooked. Another Irish name to consider is Dillon, which means "loyal."
• Dante: "Lasting and enduring."

Other possible virtue names for boys in this category:

• Abir: It means "strong" in Hebrew.
• Alcander: Also means "strong," but in Greek.
• Allard: "Highborn" and "courageous."
• Casey: "Vigilant."
• Constantine:"Steadfast."
• Fortney: Based on the Latin word fortis, which means "strong" or "powerful."
• Gregory: A popular name for popes and saints (the protectors of the Catholic faith), it very appropriately means "watchful" or "vigilant."
• Hardy: From the Old German, meaning "bold" or "brave." Maybe too closely associated with the Hardy Boys books or television show to attain broad usage.
• Hartman: It means "hard, strong man."
• Hector: Hector was one of the heroes of the Trojan War, and his name denotes someone who stands his ground. Ettore is the Latin-based version of this name.
• Helmut: Just like the name denotes, a "strong, brave protector."
• Imaam: An Islamic name meaning "leader" or "guide."

Girls' Names:

• Alberta: The feminine form of Albert ("highborn").
• Adele: Along with Alice, Alison, and Alix, these names all come from an Old German word meaning "nobility." The Hebrew name Adira carries the same meaning.
• Gitta: Short for Bridget, it is a powerful name of strength in Ireland.
• Brites: On the unusual side, it's Portuguese for "power" and based on the Irish name Bridget as well.
• Valentina: This name and Valerie come from the same Latin root word meaning "strength."
• Greer: A Scottish name meaning "alert" or "watchful."
• Gregoria: Just like the boys' name Gregory, it means "watchful" or "alert."

Making a Joyful Noise

Are you of the mind that bliss is the ultimate goal in life, or simply feel that life is too short to overlook the goodness in it? If so, these names are full of a joy and laughter that may well appeal to you.

Boys' Names:

• Alaire: It's from the French word for "joyful." If it's a little too unusual for you but you like it, you may consider it for a middle name.
• Bligh: This Old English name meaning "bliss" has a negative connotation for some people, thanks to English sea captain William Bligh. Bligh's tyrannical rule on the Bounty incited a very famous mutiny in 1789. Bliss and Biythe are closely related.
• Caius: Coming from the Latin word meaning "rejoice," it can be pronounced KAY-us, KIE-us, or KEYS. As Latin is a dead language, no one knows for sure how it truly should be pronounced (so pick which one you like best).
• Fane: "Happy" or "joyous" (Old English).
• Felix: Or the Italian version, Felice, means "happy" or "fortunate."
• Ilario: It means "cheerful" or "merry" in Italian.
• Isaac: "Laughter" in Hebrew. Not that popular now, but still a good name.
• Kay: Yes, it's seen as a girls' name, but this Old Welsh name meaning "rejoicing" has also been used for boys. Borne most famously by one of the knights of the Round Table.
• Osher: "Happiness" or "good fortune" (Hebrew).
• Tait:"Cheerful" or "gay" (Old Norse).

Girls' Names:

• Bliss: "Intense happiness," of course!
• Aleeza: Close in sound to such popular names as Aiesha, Alicia, and Alyssa, this Hebrew name means "joy," as does Alegria (Spanish), Alesia (Greek), Gila (Hebrew), and Gioia (Italian).
• Duscha: It's Russian for "happy."
• Milena: Somewhat unusual but pretty, this Czech name means "love," "warmth,"
• Ilaria: Another somewhat unusual choice, it's Italian for "cheerful" or "happy."
• Hilary: Once pretty popular, not so today. It's based on the Greek word meaning "cheerful" or "happy."
• Allegra: "Joyous" in Italian.
• Gwyneth: A Welsh name meaning "happiness," borne famously by actress Gwyneth Paltrow.
• Jocelyn: A name with an uncertain heritage--maybe it's Old German, maybe it's Latin--its meaning ("cheerful") is undebated.
• Felicia: Like Felix for the boys, Felicia means "happy," "lucky," or "fortunate." Probably seen more often as Felicity, it's currently popular form.

All You Need Is Love

If you want to give your wee one that extra injection of positive reinforcement, use a name that represents one of the three main biblical virtues—hope, faith, and charity—or one that just spells L-O-V-E (literally or figuratively--it's up to you!). You can check out the Puritanical names listed in the beginning of this chapter or try out one of the following.

Boys' Names:

• Amadeo: This Italian name comes from the Latin amadeus, meaning "lover of God."
• Craddock: From an ancient Welsh name meaning "love."
• David: It means "beloved of God," or simply "beloved," and was the given name of one of the most loved Biblical kings.
• Dewey: It's a Welsh variation of David, with the same meaning.

Girls' Names:

• Chanah: This Hebrew name is also translated as "full of grace" or "mercy." Its Anglicized forms include Hannah, Anna, and Ann.
• Carys: From cam, the Welsh word for "love."
• Agapi: From agape, one of the words used to describe God's love.
• Amal: A Muslim or Arabic name meaning "hope." It's used for both boys and girls.
• Esperanza: Spanish for "hope."
• Elpida: Elpis means "hope" in Greek.
• Amy: Spelled in this manner or Aimée, as the French do, it means "beloved."
• Amanda: Taken from the Latin saint name Amandus, it means "much loved" or "lovable."

To Tell the Truth

No grand juries needed here! The names that follow stand for truth and justice (of which you should remind your child if you ever catch him or her in a little white lie.

Boys' Names:

• Amin: Hebrew for "truthful" or "trustworthy." The feminine form is Amita.
• Amitai: Amitai was the father of Jonah. This name is translated as meaning "truthful" or "faithful."

Girls' Names:

• Alethea: A Greek name meaning "truth."
• Amana: From the Hebrew, meaning "loyal" or "true."
• Verena: One of many names based on the Latin word verus. Verity, a Puritan virtue name, and Veronica are several other well-known names in this genre.

Me Tarzan, You Jane

Following are virtue names having to do with traditionally prized traits of each gender:

Boys' Names:

• Andrew: The English version of the Greek andreas meaning "manly." Another manly Greek name, but a bit overblown for many, is Apollo.
• Arsenio: The Greeks liked names that left nothing to the imagination. This one means "masculine."
• Devlin: This Irish name means "fierce and courageous."

Girls' Names:

• Adiva: This name appears in both Arabic and Hebrew lexicons as meaning "agreeable" or "gentle." The masculine form is Adin.
• Chastity: Based on the Latin word for "pure."
• Choni: Hebrew for "gracious."
• Inez: A pretty Spanish name meaning "pure." Not in wide use as it seems a little dated, but a possibility for a middle name.
• Katherine: One of the oldest names around, based on the Greek word for "pure."
• Naomi: In the Old Testament, Naomi was the mother-in-law of Ruth. Her name means "beautiful" or "pleasant."
• Wynne: This Welsh name means "fair" or "pure."

Tranquility and Peace

It may not keep your wee one from waking you up every two hours, but giving your child a moniker that denotes peace and harmony still might rub off.

Boys' Names:

• Acacio: This name means "free from malice" in Spanish, although it's based on the name of a thorny tree.
• Bonar: Based on debonnaire, it means "gentle" or "mannerly."
• Concord: This English name meaning "peace" is also a place name.
• Galen: In Greek, it means "healer."
• Sereno: Based on the Latin for "tranquil."
• Solomon: Hebrew for "peace." Salem is a modern Hebrew variation.
• Yasahiro: A Japanese name meaning "serene" or "tranquil."

Girls' Names:

• Charis: A lovely Greek name meaning "grace" or "beauty."
• Freda: Yiddish for "joy." It's also seen as Frieda and Frayde.
• Halimah:This popular Arabic name means "gentle" or "patient."
• Hannah: A very popular name from the Old Testament, meaning "gracious" or "merciful."
• Ioanna: This Greek name is based on Jane, the feminine form of John, and means "God's grace."
• Irene: This English name derives from the Greek word for "peace." Outdated now, but could be used as a middle name.
• Salama: Derived from the Arabic word salima ("to be safe").
• Salome: A Hebrew name taken from Solomon ("peace"). Selima is another variant.
• Serena: The classic Latin name meaning "tranquil" and "serene." Often used by Roman Catholics.
• Shalom: The traditional Hebrew greeting meaning "peace." Model Shalom Harlow has given this word popularity as a name.

Do unto Others…

All of these names have elements of kindness and compassion, as well as some other noble values.

Boys' Names:

• Atif: This Arabic name means "compassionate" or "sympathetic."
• Coriiss: An English name meaning "benevolent" or "generous."
• Cosmo: It means "orderliness" or "harmony." Just unusual enough to possibly gain some favor as either a given or middle name.
• Curtis: From the Old French, meaning "polite" or "courteous."
• Dermot: Irish, meaning "free of envy or jealousy." Also often spelled Dermott.
• Gareth: From the Welsh, meaning "gentle."
• Helgi: A popular name in Scandinavia, it means "successful" or "productive."
• Hiroshi: A very popular name for Japanese boys, it means "generous."
• Justin: This very popular name derives from the Latin word for justice.
• Kermit: Also an Irish name meaning "without envy or jealousy." Kermit the Frog bears this name proudly and justly.
• Latif: "Gentle" in Arabic. Also spelled as Lateef.

Girls' Names

• Amalia: From the German word amal, meaning "work." Also commonly spelled Amelia. A pretty yet somewhat forgotten name, it has just enough of a retro feel to it that it may come back into broader use sometime soon.
• Atifa: Arabic for "compassion" or "empathy." Also spelled as Atifah.
• Dilys: Welsh for "reliable" or "true."
• Justine: Based on the Latin word for justice, it means "fair" or "righteous."
• Rehema: A Swahili name meaning "compassion."

Excerpted from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Baby Names © 1999 by Sonia Weiss. All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Used by arrangement with Alpha Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

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