Temperance is a primarily feminine given name, usually given in reference to the virtue of moderation. Temperance was among the virtue names in regular use by Puritan families in the 1500s and 1600s.[1] The name was among the top 150 names used for girls in the 1790s in the United States, the time period when it was most popular.[2] [3] The name remained in use during the 19th century in the United States, with the hypocorism Tempy documented in the American South.[4] The nickname is also spelled Tempe.
 | |
| Gender | Female |
|---|---|
| Language(s) | English |
| Origin | |
| Meaning | Temperance |
| Other names | |
| Related names | Tempe, Tempy |
The name was later strongly associated with the temperance movement of the 19th and early 20th centuries, which advocated either moderation or complete abstinence from the drinking of alcoholic beverages.
Recent usage in the Anglosphere was inspired by Temperance "Bones" Brennan, a character in the American FOX television series Bones, which aired from 2005 to 2017. The name ranked among the 1,000 most popular given names for newborn American girls between 2011 and 2014.[5] [6]
Notable people
edit- Temperance Flowerdew (1590-1628), an early settler of the Jamestown Colony in Virginia
- Temperance Wick (1758–1822), American Revolutionary War heroine
Fictional characters
edit- Temperance Brennan, protagonist of novels by Kathy Reichs
- Temperance "Bones" Brennan, in the American TV series Bones
References
edit- ^ "Full text of "Curiosities of Puritan nomenclature"". archive.org. 1880. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
- ^ Fowers, Alyssa; Van Dam, Andrew (13 December 2024). "Puritan baby names are back. Is '90s culture responsible?". washingtonpost.com. Washington Post. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
- ^ "Temperance". behindthename.com. Behind the Name. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
- ^ Lorenz, Brenna (September 1989) [9], "Origins of Original Given Names from the Southern United States", Names: A Journal of Onomastics, 37 (3): 201–230
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ Fowers, Alyssa; Van Dam, Andrew (13 December 2024). "Puritan baby names are back. Is '90s culture responsible?". washingtonpost.com. Washington Post. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
- ^ "Temperance". behindthename.com. Behind the Name. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
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