Charity (name)
Encyclopedia
Charity is an English feminine given name derived from the English word charity
. It was used by the Puritans as a virtue name. An earlier form of the name, Caritas, was an early Christian name in use by Romans.
Charity is also the usual English form of the name of Saint Charity
, an early Christian child martyr, who was tortured to death with her sisters Faith and Hope. She is known as Agape in Biblical Greek
and as Caritas in Church Latin
and her name is translated differently in other languages.
Faith, Hope and Charity
, the three theological virtues
, are names traditionally given to triplet
girls, just as Faith and Hope remain common names for twin
girls. One example were the American triplets Faith, Hope and Charity Cardwell, who were born in 1899 in Texas
and were recognized in 1994 by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's longest lived triplets.
Charity has never been as popular a name in the United States
as Faith
or Hope
. It ranked in the top 500 names for American girls between 1880 and 1898 and in the top 1,000 between 1880 and 1927, when it disappeared from the top 1,000 names until it reemerged among the top 1,000 names in 1968 at No. 968. It was most popular between 1973 and 1986, when it ranked among the top 300 names in the United States. It has since declined in popularity and was ranked at No. 876 in 2009.
This is a list of people and characters named Charity:
Charity (virtue)
In Christian theology charity, or love , means an unlimited loving-kindness toward all others.The term should not be confused with the more restricted modern use of the word charity to mean benevolent giving.- Caritas: altruistic love :...
. It was used by the Puritans as a virtue name. An earlier form of the name, Caritas, was an early Christian name in use by Romans.
Charity is also the usual English form of the name of Saint Charity
Faith, Hope and Charity
Saints Faith, Hope and Charity , Church Slavonic: are a group of Christian martyred saints. Their mother is said to have been Sophia ; Sapientia is also mentioned in some accounts, though not as their mother. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, these were, in fact, two groups bearing the...
, an early Christian child martyr, who was tortured to death with her sisters Faith and Hope. She is known as Agape in Biblical Greek
Koine Greek
Koine Greek is the universal dialect of the Greek language spoken throughout post-Classical antiquity , developing from the Attic dialect, with admixture of elements especially from Ionic....
and as Caritas in Church Latin
Ecclesiastical Latin
Ecclesiastical Latin is the Latin used by the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in all periods for ecclesiastical purposes...
and her name is translated differently in other languages.
Faith, Hope and Charity
Charity (name)
Charity is an English feminine given name derived from the English word charity. It was used by the Puritans as a virtue name. An earlier form of the name, Caritas, was an early Christian name in use by Romans....
, the three theological virtues
Theological virtues
Theological virtues - in theology and Christian philosophy, are the character qualities associated with salvation, resulting from the grace of God, which enlightens human mind.- In the Bible :The three theological virtues are:...
, are names traditionally given to triplet
Multiple birth
A multiple birth occurs when more than one fetus is carried to term in a single pregnancy. Different names for multiple births are used, depending on the number of offspring. Common multiples are two and three, known as twins and triplets...
girls, just as Faith and Hope remain common names for twin
Twin
A twin is one of two offspring produced in the same pregnancy. Twins can either be monozygotic , meaning that they develop from one zygote that splits and forms two embryos, or dizygotic because they develop from two separate eggs that are fertilized by two separate sperm.In contrast, a fetus...
girls. One example were the American triplets Faith, Hope and Charity Cardwell, who were born in 1899 in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and were recognized in 1994 by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's longest lived triplets.
Charity has never been as popular a name in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as Faith
Faith (given name)
Faith is an English feminine given name derived from the word faith. It became popularized when the Puritans began using it as a virtue name during the 17th century...
or Hope
Hope (given name)
Hope is a feminine given name derived from the Middle English hope, ultimately from the Old English word hopian referring to a positive expectation or to the theological virtue of hope. It was used as a virtue name by the Puritans...
. It ranked in the top 500 names for American girls between 1880 and 1898 and in the top 1,000 between 1880 and 1927, when it disappeared from the top 1,000 names until it reemerged among the top 1,000 names in 1968 at No. 968. It was most popular between 1973 and 1986, when it ranked among the top 300 names in the United States. It has since declined in popularity and was ranked at No. 876 in 2009.
This is a list of people and characters named Charity:
People
- Charity AdamsCharity AdamsCharity Edna Adams Earley was the first African American woman to be an officer in the Woman’s Army Air Corps and was the commanding officer of the first battalion of African American women to serve overseas during WWII.-Early life and education:...
, an army officer - Charity BrownCharity BrownCharity Brown is a Canadian film actress, singer, and voice artist for television animation shorts. She is one of Eastwood Collegiate Institute's notable alumni.-Biography:...
, a film actress and singer - Charity NgiluCharity NgiluCharity Kaluki Ngilu is a Kenyan politician. She was Minister of Health from 2003 until 2007 and was appointed as Minister of Water and Irrigation in April 2008....
, a politician - Charity OparaCharity OparaCharity Opara is a former Nigerian athlete who mainly competed in the 400 metres. She was in particular a successful relay runner, winning the silver medal at the 1996 Olympics....
, a former athlete - Charity RahmerCharity RahmerCharity Rahmer is an American actress.She is best known for her short lived run on the soap opera Days of our Lives in 2004. Although she was hired to replace Kirsten Storms in the role of Belle Black and signed a contract, she only portrayed Belle Black for sixteen episodes...
, an actress - Charity SheaCharity SheaCharity Shea is an American actress. She is best known for her role as troubled teenager Samantha Best in The Best Years. She has starred in films including Alpha Dog with Justin Timberlake and Bruce Willis...
, an actress - Charity WaciumaCharity WaciumaCharity Waciuma is a Kenyan writer, who wrote several novels for adolescents and an autobiographical novel, Daughter of Mumbi .Charity Waciumbi grew up in pre-Independence Kenya, during the violent anti-colonial struggle between the Mau-Mau and British rulers...
, a writer - Charity WakefieldCharity Wakefield-Background:Wakefield was born in Sussex, England in September 1980. At a couple of months old she moved with her mother, Caroline, to L'Ampolla in Catalonia, Spain. They returned to England when Wakefield was four. She has a half-sister, Olivia...
, an actress - Charity ZisengweCharity Zisengwe-Additional sources:*******- External links :**...
, a singer - Nicole MatthewsNicole MatthewsNicole Matthews is the ring name of a Canadian professional wrestler. Matthews regularly wrestles for Shimmer Women Athletes and NWA: Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling...
, a professional wrestler, who has also performed under the ring name Charity
Fictional
- Charity Bazaar, a fictional character from the cartoon Histeria!Histeria!Histeria! is a 1998 American animated series created by Tom Ruegger and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. Unlike other animated series produced by Warner Bros. in the 1990s, Histeria! stood out as the most explicit edutainment program in order to meet FCC requirements for...
- Charity Burbage, character from J.K. Rowling's Harry PotterHarry PotterHarry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
series. - Charity Churchmouse, a fictional mouse
- Charity Hope Valentine, character in the musical comedy Sweet CharitySweet CharitySweet Charity is a musical with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields and book by Neil Simon. It was directed and choreographed for Broadway by Bob Fosse starring his wife and muse Gwen Verdon. It is based on Federico Fellini's screenplay for Nights of Cabiria...
- Charity More, character in Claudia Gray's novel, StargazerStargazerThe stargazers are a family Uranoscopidae of perciform fish that have eyes on top of their heads . The family includes about 50 species in 8 genera, all marine and found worldwide in shallow waters....
- Charity Standish, a fictional soap opera character
- Charity TateCharity TateCharity Tate is a fictional character on the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale. She is played by Emma Atkins.The character was involved in numerous high-profile storylines during her first stint on the show, such as her marriage to Chris Tate, lesbian affair with Zoe Tate, the arrival of her...
, a fictional soap opera character