ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 1916 First Year 2024 Last Year 2015 Peak Year #13003 Peak Rank 45 Total Count 8 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Virtue What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. A virtue is a trait of excellence, including traits that may be moral, social, or intellectual. The cultivation and refinement of virtue is held to be the "good of humanity" and thus is valued as an end purpose of life or a foundational principle of being. Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtue) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtue) 📜Etymology The ancient Romans used the Latin word virtus (derived from vir , their word for man ) to refer to all of the "excellent qualities of men, including physical strength, valorous conduct, and moral rectitude". The French words vertu and virtu came from this Latin root . The word virtue "was borrowed into English in the 13th century". [![Wikipedia thumbnail for Virtue](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/18/Raphael_-_Cardinal_and_Theological_Virtues.jpg/330px-Raphael_-_Cardinal_and_Theological_Virtues.jpg)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtue) 📖 ## The Story of Virtue Virtue first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1916, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2015, when 7 Virtues were born — ranking #13,003 that year. As of 2026, Virtue ranks #15,243 for baby girls with 5 births, with steady use. In total, more than 45 Virtues have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time ## Popularity by State ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🎶 ## Names that sound like Virtue Phonetically similar names — useful when Virtue is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * Virtu * Virtues * Vertu * [Virtus](/virtus) * Vrouw * Virtud * Vru * Vrou * Vrij * [Verge](/verge) * [Versa](/versa) * [Vici](/vici) Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Virtue What does the name Virtue mean? A virtue is a trait of excellence, including traits that may be moral, social, or intellectual. The cultivation and refinement of virtue is held to be the "good of humanity" and thus is valued as an end purpose of life or a foundational principle of being. How popular is Virtue in 2026? In 2026, Virtue ranks #15,243 among girls' names in the U.S., with 5 babies given the name that year. When was Virtue most popular? Virtue reached its peak popularity in 2015, ranking #13,003 that year with 7 babies given the name. Is Virtue a unisex name? In U.S. Social Security records, Virtue is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name. What names go well with Virtue? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Virtue include Oren, Wimberly, Nalin. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. ## Similar Names [👧OrenPeak #13003](/oren)[👧WimberlyPeak #13003](/wimberly)[👧NalinPeak #13003](/nalin)[👧MarleniePeak #13003](/marlenie)[👧JawaherPeak #13003](/jawaher)[👧KymberlynnPeak #13003](/kymberlynn)[👧NinasimonePeak #13003](/ninasimone)[👧YuktaPeak #13003](/yukta) ## About the name Virtue Virtue is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1916 and has accumulated 45 births in the dataset. Virtue's peak popularity came in 2015 when it ranked #13,003\. Use the chart and map above to compare Virtue's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 2015 → ](/year/2015) * [ Names of the 2010s → ](/decade/2010s) * [ Names starting with "V" → ](/letter/v) * [ Browse all girl names → ](/names/girls) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships. * Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.