The baby name Felicity combines a gentle, antique appeal with an upbeat meaning.
Thanks to Katharine for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day, and to Saranel for suggesting an update.
FELICITAS
At heart, the baby name Felicity belongs with the virtue names. It’s not quite as familiar as Grace, Hope, and Faith.
But neither is Felicity a newcomer, a new age virtue like Destiny or Journey.
Instead, like Felix, this name comes from the Latin felicitas, which means – as any Harry Potter fan knows – lucky or happy.
A minor Roman goddess known as Felicitas served as a symbol of Imperial Rome’s success.
Then there are the saints:
- Legend tells us of saint Felicitas or Felicity, a wealthy Christian widow and mother to seven sons. It is said that they were all martyred in the second century.
- Another enduring story is of the noblewoman Perpetua and her slave, Felicity. Both were martyred in Carthage, in the arena with wild beasts, leaving behind young children. It is believed that some of the writings about their experience were taken from an autobiographical account authored by Perpetua herself.
All of this lends cheerful Felicity quite a bit of substance.
FELICE AND FELICIA
The saints’ renown ensured that the names endured.
In the Middle Ages, the name became Felice in English. The Latin Felicia was also heard.
The lacy, elaborate Felicity developed a little later. We can thank the Puritans for this one. As they searched out names to set them apart from the rest of society, virtues appealed to them.
FELICITY MERRIMAN
Data on given names pre-1880 is elusive. But we tend to think of Felicity as a historical favorite. That’s probably thanks to Felicity Merriman, the American Girl character introduced in a series of books in 1991.
And, of course, the American Girl doll was released the same year. The character grows up during the American Revolution. She’s a fiercely independent, horse-riding ten-year-old.
UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
Just a few years later – right as those American Girl fans grew up and headed for high school – another fictional Felicity captured our imaginations.
In 1998, fictional Felicity Porter ditched Stanford to move clear across the county to New York. For four seasons, we followed her adventures at the University of New York on Felicity, a break-out hit for The WB and for actor Keri Russell.
It pushed the name into the US Top 1000 for the very first time.
The baby name Felicity debuted in 1998 at #818. A year later, it reached #390.
1999 also gave us Heather Graham as a Bond girl-esque character named Felicity in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.
FALL AND RISE
After all of those late-90s pop culture references, the name peaked in 1999, only to slowly decline.
But then it made a comeback, rising again. Today it ranks in the 300s – meaning the baby name Felicity is at its most popular.
Actors including Felicity Jones, of Star Wars: Rogue One fame, have raised the name’s profile. There’s also Oscar-nominated, Desperate Housewives alum Felicity Huffman … though she’s better known for a college admissions scandal these days.
Overall, Felicity combines so many appealing traits. Take a great meaning, add in a stylish sound, and make it all nicely familiar, but still relatively uncommon. What’s not to love?
Would you consider the baby name Felicity? Do you think it will be more popular in the future?
Editor’s note: This post was originally published on July 2, 2008, and substantially revised and re-posted on June 4, 2012. Thanks to Saranel for the suggestion! Additional revisions took place on June 4, 2020.
My apologies, Katharine – as I read your comment, I realized that I didn’t acknowledge your suggestion. I’m editing now to remedy my oversight.
Nicknames *are* an issue for Felicity. There’s Liss, Lissa, Licia, even Fliss … but those are in the same style as Flossie and Flick, aren’t they? Fee, like we hear for Fiona or really any starts-with-F name, is an option, but awfully brief. The one I rather like is Flicka. But since Flicka was the HORSE, that doesn’t really work, either.
While I’m sure a nickname would emerge, I do always like to think that out in advance – so it is a strike against Felicity, if a small one.
I love the idea of contraction Fey as a nickname for Felicity because it is a bit stronger and thus could suit a different kind of girl.
I think you’ve hit the nail on the head perfectly when you describe Felicity as ‘that most elusive of names – one that feels instantly familiar, but is not burdened by her history’. Although, I couldn’t put my finger on it, that is exactly what I love about the name and why I suggested it. The only issue I have with Felicity has also been mentioned above and is her overtly happy-feminine, even flighty sound. My other minor quibble is a lack of nickname (Flossie and Flick sound too much like pets names for my liking). Any idea on that front? These issues aside, Felicty remains one of my favourite girls names…
Reaching for the calendar …
July 30 will be Lorelei; we’ll unpack Nina on August 1; and Whitney is August 3.
Many thanks for the inspiration – I’m particularly intrigued by Nina, as I always think of it as a diminutive. Hmmm …
If we’re doing NotD requests, let me add Whitney to the list, please. I don’t know if it’s your speed, but I’m recently interested in this one. For my own “potential, yet-to-be-conceived daughter”. It’s a little 1980s spoiled rich girl, but that might be why I like it. 😉
Oh, and AM, I have two name of the day request. I’ve been considering Lorelei or Nina for a potential, yet-to-be-conceived daughter. I’d love to hear you weigh in on them.
I think the only drawback to Felicity is that it’s not very versatile. As mentioned above, if you are a more serious, dour sort of girl, there’s not ready nickname you could use.
The American Girl connection has also kind of juvenilized (is that a word? Guess it is now!) the name for me. It seems like it would work a lot better on a kid or a teenager than an adult. Judge Felicity Smith seems a bit far-fetched to me.
But, it’s pretty and has a solid history behind it, so I don’t hate it or anything. Just not for me, I guess.
I agree with everyone here! Felicity is such a happy and bubbly name. It sounds fun and sunshiney. And Penelope and Felicity would definitely make great sisters 🙂
Oooh … Lola, I love Penelope and Felicity together. It almost makes me wish I were having twin daughters. 😉 Though, Catherine, I always think of your point about same-syllableness whenever I hear sibsets like that in the real world.
I guess the possibility that Felicity would be a grouch is one real hesitation – I have a younger sister who is simply not a ray of sunshine, and I suppose she’d have hated to be Felicity. (Then again, given how much she hates her too-short-ends-in-i given name, it might still be a step up. I’ll have to ask.)
Felicity -love it. It’s just a nice name, you know? I can’t imagine someone named Felicity being unpleasant. Of course if they were, it’d be really ironic (well, if they were sad it would be). Anyway, I like it for the same reasons you and Lola have outlined.
Felicity and Penelope would make pretty excellent sisters. They both have a lighthearted happy-go-luckiness about them but still work on grown women. The only problem I have is the same syllableness (remember Josephine and Beatrix?) but it’s a small quibble.
Felicity’s a pretty choice. A bit too fussy for me, I’m more a Felix fan, he feels a bit more rough & tumble to me, but I can easily see Felicity’s charms. Warm & friendly, less blunt that Grace or Hope, less stern than Constance and not as lightweight as Sunny or Harmony. Felicity’s pretty, light, airy and will still grow up well. I can easily see Felicity on a baby, toddler, teen, young Adult, middle aged woman and old lady. Would make a lovely and slightly unexpected choice. And why does my brain keep saying Felicity & Penelope would make fabulous sisters? 🙂
Ahh! Felicity and Penelope are my all-time top two girls names! I love that you like them together – I’m always worried they’re too rhymey 😀