The story behind Charity
From charity in the Biblical sense of Christian love; first used by Puritans. In early Christian tradition, Faith, Hope and Charity were the martyred daughters of Saint Sophia. The names, taken from 1 Corinthians 13:13 ("And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity") have been translated and used in many languages. The name of the sura (chapter) is one of several translations of the original Arabic.
Other language forms and explanations (1)
Tagalog entry
Borrowed from English Charity.
Pronunciation
US English (ARPAbet): CH EH1 R IH0 T IY0
Regional pronunciation variants
- Tagalog; Standard-Tagalog: /ˈt͡ʃaɾiti/
- Tagalog; Standard-Tagalog: [ˌt͡ʃaː.ɾɪˈt̪ɪ]
- Tagalog: /ˈtsaɾiti/
- Tagalog: [ˌt͡saː.ɾɪˈt̪ɪ]
This is a US English dictionary reading of the spelling; personal pronunciations may differ. Digits mark stress: 0 is unstressed, 1 is primary, 2 is secondary. Pronunciation source and notation.
Popularity
Charity ranked #1981 in US for 2025.
Source: SSA national baby names
Names Similar to Charity
Anthony
From Latin Antōnius, name of a Roman gens (with excrescent -h- suggested by an unetymological association with Ancient Greek ἄνθος (ánthos, “flower”)). The Roman clan name is…
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 3 syllables
- Ending
- ends Y
- same syllable count
- similar length
Antony
A male given name from Latin, a mostly British spelling variant of Anthony. Unadapted borrowing from English Antony, from Latin Antōnius.Doublet of Antônio and Antão.
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 3 syllables
- Ending
- ends Y
- same syllable count
- similar length
Destiny
From the noun destiny since the 1970s.
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 3 syllables
- Ending
- ends Y
- same syllable count
- similar length
Dorothy
Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek Δωροθέα (Dōrothéa). Borrowed from English Dorothy.
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 3 syllables
- Ending
- ends Y
- same syllable count
- similar length
Ebony
From ebony. First used by African Americans in the 1970s.
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 3 syllables
- Ending
- ends Y
- same syllable count
- similar length
Emily
English form of Latin Aemilia, a gens name from aemulus (“rival, emulator”). a female given name from English [in turn from Latin], variant of Emilie Borrowed from English Emily.
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 3 syllables
- Ending
- ends Y
- same syllable count
- similar length
Middle Names for Charity
Aaron
From Latin Aaron, from Ancient Greek Ἀαρών (Aarṓn), from Hebrew אַהֲרֹן (ʾAhărōn), of unknown meaning, possibly meaning “bearer of martyrs”, or perhaps also, or instead,…
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends N
- balanced syllable contrast
- good length contrast
Abby
Borrowed from English Abby in the 20th century. Borrowed from English Abby.
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends Y
- balanced syllable contrast
- good length contrast
Agnes
Borrowed from Ancient Greek Ἁγνή (Hagnḗ), coming from Ancient Greek ἁγνός (hagnós, “pure, chaste”), Ancient Greek ἁγνεία (hagneía, “purity, chastity”). Doublet of Inez.…
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends S
- balanced syllable contrast
- good length contrast
Sibling Names for Charity
Aaron
From Latin Aaron, from Ancient Greek Ἀαρών (Aarṓn), from Hebrew אַהֲרֹן (ʾAhărōn), of unknown meaning, possibly meaning “bearer of martyrs”, or perhaps also, or instead,…
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends N
- shared origin connection
- balanced name length
Abigail
From Hebrew אֲבִיגַיִל (avigáyil, “Abigail”, literally “my Father's joy” or “fountain of joy”). a female given name from Hebrew, equivalent to English Abigail Borrowed from…
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 3 syllables
- Ending
- ends L
- shared origin connection
- balanced name length
Adamu
Borrowed from English Adam.
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 3 syllables
- Ending
- ends U
- shared origin connection
- balanced name length