Virtue names, also known as grace names, are used as personal names in a number of cultures. They express virtues that the parents wish their child to embody or be associated with. In the English-speaking world, beginning in the 16th century, the Puritans commonly expressed their values through creative names, many in the form of virtue names such as Grace, Felicity, Faith or Hope. These names have entered the standard British and American usage, without the religious connection.
Some Puritan virtue names were compound imperatives, such as "Search-the-scriptures" or "Praise-God". An example of the use of "Praise-God" as a name is Praise-God Barebone, whose son Nicholas may have been given the name If-Jesus-Christ-had-not-died-for-thee-thou-hadst-been-damned. In Britain, such Puritan virtue names were particularly common in Kent, Sussex and Northamptonshire. They are sometimes referred to as hortatory names. Virtue names were more commonly given to girls than boys, though not exclusively.
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