Virtue names are a distinctly English and Protestant tradition: names derived from abstract qualities like grace, faith, and patience. The Puritans used them extensively in 17th-century New England — Patience, Prudence, Charity, and Temperance were common given names among the colonists. Many fell out of use during the 18th and 19th centuries, then came back in waves.
In 2024, the tradition is alive across two very different groups. The classical Puritan virtues (Grace, Faith, Hope, Patience) are reviving through the same vintage wave that's brought back Hazel and Eleanor. A newer group of aspirational abstract names (Serenity, Destiny, Journey, Genesis, Miracle, Heaven) has been in mainstream use since the 1990s and 2000s, particularly in African American naming traditions.
Here's the full picture from 2024 SSA data.
The established virtue names
Grace — #40 (5,002 babies). The most successful virtue name in American history. Grace has been in the top 50 for over fifteen years and shows no sign of declining. It works across religious and secular contexts: divine grace in Christianity, social grace in a secular sense, Grace Kelly. One syllable; no nickname needed; ages perfectly.
Genesis — #55 (3,835 babies). The first book of the Bible; means "beginning." Genesis has been climbing since the early 2000s and is now top 60. It combines the virtue-name tradition with a direct biblical reference. It's used significantly in Hispanic American communities (where Génesis is a common Spanish-language name) as well as broadly across American naming.
Serenity — #117 (2,342 babies). Peace; tranquility. Serenity entered mainstream American use in the late 1990s and has been holding mid-chart ever since. The Firefly reference (the spaceship Serenity) has kept it visible in certain communities, but its primary appeal is the meaning itself.
Faith — #249 (1,272 babies). The theological virtue. Faith peaked in the late 1990s (it was top 50 in 2000) and has been slowly declining since. It's now mid-chart but holding. The Puritan tradition and Southern American religious culture both keep it in circulation.
Harmony — #264 (1,206 babies). Musical balance. Harmony has been mid-chart for two decades. It's one of the abstract-quality names that works musically as well as morally.
Hope — #317 (964 babies). The theological virtue. Hope peaked in the early 2000s (top 100) and has been declining slowly since. It's now at #317. One syllable; obvious meaning; impossible to dislike. The challenge for Hope is that it was distinctly fashionable in a specific era, which may make it date slightly.
Journey — #322 (954 babies). A metaphorical virtue — life as a journey. Journey has been mid-chart since around 2010. The rock band Journey is not necessarily the primary association; the name works more as an aspiration (life is a journey, a path to be traveled).
Trinity — #407 (781 babies). The Christian doctrine of the three-person God; the character in The Matrix (1999) gave it a mainstream boost. Trinity was top 100 in the early 2000s; it's now declining from that peak but still mid-chart.
Joy — #442 (702 babies). Pure happiness. Joy had a mid-century peak (top 100 in the 1950s–1970s) and has been slowly reviving. Three letters; absolute clarity of meaning; beautiful. Joy is somewhat analogous to Hope — a one-syllable virtue name that had a peak and is now reconsidering.
Miracle — #469 (660 babies). The divine exception to natural law. Miracle has been used as a given name primarily in African American communities since the early 1990s. It's at #469 and has held steady.
Heaven — #478 (645 babies). The divine realm. Heaven has been mid-chart since the 1990s. It's one of the more unusual abstract virtue names — not a quality, but a destination.
Destiny — #481 (638 babies). Fate; predetermined purpose. Destiny was top 20 in the mid-1990s and has been declining since. Still mid-chart — one of the most used abstract-aspiration names from the 1990s naming wave.
Felicity — #486 (628 babies). Intense happiness; good fortune. Latin felicitas. Felicity has been used in English since the 16th century; the TV show Felicity (1998–2002) gave it visibility for a generation. It's now reviving through the vintage wave, alongside Patience and Verity.
Mercy — #849 (318 babies). Compassionate forgiveness. Mercy is the Puritan virtue name that has stayed niche while Grace and Faith broke through. It's climbing — a name that appears in The Handmaid's Tale (where Ofglen's real name is Mercy) and is beginning to feel vintage without feeling dated.
Liberty — #982 (263 babies). Political and personal freedom. Liberty has been used as a given name (especially in the US) since the Revolutionary era. It's at #982 and stable — more patriotic than religious in its appeal.
[Felicity, Patience, Constance, Verity, Prudence, Charity: the classical Puritan virtues that have not fully revived. All are below #1,000 but climbing.**]
The classical Puritan virtues: on the way back
Felicity — #486 (628 babies). Already in the mainstream and climbing.
Patience — #1,330 (172 babies). The quiet virtue. Patience was common among the Puritans and is beginning a slow revival. It has the same structure as Hope and Grace — one word, absolute clarity — but the meaning requires some patience of its own.
Verity — #1,875 (107 babies). Truth. Verity is the rare virtue name that has a literary sheen without a specific pop-culture moment. It's been used in British naming for decades; it sounds almost fictional, like a character name. It's beginning to appear in American data.
Constance — #1,645 (125 babies). Steadfastness. Constance was in the top 50 in the 1920s–1930s (the same era as Mildred and Doris) and is now at #1,645. It's the virtue name most similar to Dorothy or Helen — recognizable, pronounceable, but not yet in the main revival wave.
Charity — #2,037 (95 babies). The highest of the three theological virtues (faith, hope, charity). Less popular than Hope and Faith despite its theological standing. Charity reads as slightly more old-fashioned than its sister names.
Prudence — #2,588 (68 babies). Practical wisdom. Dear Prudence (the Beatles song, 1968) keeps the name in cultural memory. Still very niche.
What the data shows about virtue naming
Two traditions, not one. The classical Puritan names (Grace, Faith, Hope, Patience, Charity) come from one tradition. The aspiration names (Serenity, Destiny, Journey, Genesis) come from another — rooted in 1990s naming patterns, particularly in African American communities, where abstract-aspiration names have been used with greater frequency. Both are virtue names, but they have different trajectories and cultural meanings.
One syllable wins. Grace (#40), Hope (#317), Joy (#442), Faith (#249) — the one-syllable virtue names outperform the multi-syllable ones. Serenity (#117) is the exception: it has the rhythmic quality that makes longer names work.
Felicity and Verity are the next wave. Both are three-syllable vintage virtue names with literary associations. If the pattern holds — Patience came before Grace in the revival cycle — Felicity and Verity could be mid-chart by 2030.
Explore related topics: nature names · timeless names · short names
Data: SSA 2024 US release.