Charity

[MellowMellow]

Has anyone ever met a girl called Charity? Thoughts on it? It’s quite a guilty pleasure name for me because I know many will see it as downmarket, but I think it sounds like it would be the name of a very wholesome, humble, and sweet person. I normally don’t care much about the meaning of names, but I also can’t ignore the fact that it has a lovely meaning. It’s appealing to me.

This

Love Verity!
I used to know a woman called Fidelis - really suited her.

I wouldn't @MellowMellow There are plenty of other names.

Not keen on Verity either. Not an awful name, but not great for a little girl in the 2020s.

Someone who is ”august” (with the emphasis on the second syllable) is dignified and worthy of respect.

It’s pretty. I do think that virtue names are always risky. What if the child is the opposite of what their name suggests? I guess that could apply to any name but is more obvious with names that imply a certain personality trait.

Obviously Dingle springs to mind

As a teacher I've known several different Charity names, all from African families. They often have second inclusive names such as Charity Mercy, Charity Queen, Princess Charity.

In Emmerdale I think i remember a eoman called Charity.

It's a beautiful word, personally I wouldn't name a DC as it will most likely be shortened to Chaz, which I don't like.

I have 4 connotations of the types of people who would choose the name Charity.

1. Religious parents
2. (Christian) American parents
3. (Christian) African parents
4. Stripper stage name

I personally think it’s an awful name

I had a school friend called Charity. She would be late 40s now. White British not particularly religious but parents were fairly hippie ish. I like the name and at the time I didn't think it was anything odd.

I think “shop”

Have you seen the film a simple favour with Anna Kendrick? That involves triplets - faith, hope and charity. Fun film.

The only one I know is white British, not a hippy family, quite the opposite - conservative, upper middle class. I don't have the associations that many posters seem to have about the name, but I still wouldn't use it now just because of the usage of the term in everyday life.

This!!!
it’s popular for some African families especially Nigerian going for names like charity, precious etc….
but I’m not sure myself

I know a young girl called “Justice” too and that’s another marmite name.

I think people would get used to it quickly and it’s quite a pretty name. I know a Temperance which I originally thought was horrible but now, it’s just her name and she doesn’t seem to have been teased about it ever. There does seem to be a wider mix of names in schools these days so it’s more acceptable to be unusual.

I do prefer Verity though to be honest.

It’s not downmarket it’s lovely

Never known one in real life. Only Charity Dingle when I used to watch Emmerdale and thats enough to put anybody off the name.

I think Charity shop too.

I don’t really like it - makes me think straight away of charity shop.

I prefer other virtue type names - Constance, Honor, Hope or Unity

It’s a lovely name, I like it a lot. But then, my name is Hope, so maybe that’s why I like it!

I'm from Northern Ireland - I've never met a Charity. I don't think it's a name that's used much in Ireland (north or south).

My first impression of Charity is that it seems a bit too literally virtuous. I prefer Verity and Felicity of all the virtue names because those are rarely used words in everyday conversation. But maybe if I had a friend named Charity, the name would grow on me.

I think Prudence, Clemency, Felicity and Constance are the nicest of the virtue names.

The others are a bit cheesy imo - especially Honor with its horrible spelling, which sounds really American to me (which is fine if you live in America I guess).