Charity

Derived from the Latin caritas, signifying benevolent love, the word traveled through Old French before entering English religious vocabulary. English Puritans adopted it in the seventeenth century alongside Faith and Prudence to keep theological virtues on the household roll. In America, it lived a quiet existence for nearly a century before experiencing a sudden, sunlit popularity surge in the mid-1970s.

The name reads as completely sincere, lacking the sternness of older Puritan virtues while dodging the glitter of later novelty coinages. It suggests macramé wall hangings, brown station wagons, and someone who returns a borrowed lawnmower with a full tank of gas. The name peaked during the Gerald Ford administration, which gives it an unmistakable warmth of amber glass and acoustic guitar.