Judice Prudence: Virtue Names Are Making A Comeback

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By Mia Bolaris-Forget

They say that what’s old is new again, and it seems that so are many things most of the past generations, maybe even your own, rebelled against, that are once again not only new, but cool.

This includes an increasing interest for some in morals and values and a return to virtue naming.

Virtue names first gained popularity during the times of the Puritans and Pilgrims and included names such as Hope, Grace, and Faith; as well as, Mindwell, Hate-Evil and Waitstill.

They gained favor in a time when biblical names still had favor, but by those colonial families who preferred names that reflected what the bible taught and reflected biblical morality and qualities such as Patience, Piety, Hopestill, Prudence, Fear, Sindeny, and Submit, and were a “subliminal” was for these “settlers” to lead their children in the right direction. And, while most were and remain mostly popular among girls, some names, such as sage or praise tend to be gender-neutral and are finding popularity with boys as well as girls, especially among Hollywood types.

Here are a few others for you to consider:

· Amity: Based on the Latin for "friendship" or "love," it's pretty old-fashioned today but could be an interesting alternative to Amy.
· Charity: One of the three cardinal virtues taught by Jesus Christ, it's never near the top of the name lists but it never fades entirely from sight either.
· Faith: Another cardinal virtue but a bit more popular than the others.
· Grace: The Puritans used this word to describe the state of being in God's favor rather than a reflection of pleasant physical attributes
· Honor: Maybe more popular as Honora however, rarely used in either form today.
· Hope: The third cardinal virtue and one that has seen a revival in the past 10 years or so.
· Joy: Somewhat outdated today, but sometimes seen as a middle name.
· Patience: Along with Prudence, the oldest-sounding Puritan virtue name to survive to the modern era. Not very popular, and not likely to gain in popularity.