girl's name
Felicity
fə-LISS-i-tee
- Origin Latin
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 4
- Letters 8
- Popularity Top 1000 (E&W)
- Births on record 29,567
the United States
#473
2025 births
Felicity is a girl's name of Latin origin meaning "happiness" or "good fortune." It comes from felicitas, and is one of the few English virtue names taken directly from Latin rather than translated.
- Felicity is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in US records in 2017, when 938 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade in US records.
- Today about 1 in 1,597 babies in England and Wales is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1935.
- 4 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Felicity over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1930s to 2020s. Felicity is more popular in England and Wales — see the country table below. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1930s | 13 |
| 1940s | 34 |
| 1950s | 89 |
| 1960s | 140 |
| 1970s | 378 |
| 1980s | 471 |
| 1990s | 1,799 |
| 2000s | 4,574 |
| 2010s | 6,888 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 4,179 |
What Felicity means
Felicity means happiness, and specifically the good fortune that produces it. The Latin felicitas covered luck and contentment together, so the name promises both circumstances and the state they create.
Where Felicity comes from
Felicity comes from the Latin felicitas, happiness or good luck, from felix, fortunate — the same root as the name Felix. Felicitas was a Roman goddess of good fortune before Christians took the word as a name: Saint Felicity was martyred at Carthage in 203 alongside Perpetua, and the two are named together in the Roman canon of the Mass. Unusually for a virtue name, English uses the Latin form rather than a translation, where Faith, Hope, Grace and Prudence were all rendered into English.
Felicity in use
Our data shows Felicity peaking in 2017 and still rising, at 152 in England and Wales. It first appears in our records in 1935. Its British use considerably outpaces its American, and its diminutive Flick is distinctly British — no American bearer would recognize it.
How popular is Felicity?
In 2025, Felicity was given to 330 babies in England and Wales, ranking #152 that year. It is well established in England and Wales.
Where Felicity is used
England and Wales figures withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year. The historical chart above uses US records, the only series running back to 1880. Data & sources.
How Felicity is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Félicity | Félicity is a rare spelling of Felicity, written with an acute accent and recorded about 30 times, mostly in France. | 30 |
Names that peaked alongside Felicity
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Felicity also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Felicity over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Felicity
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Felicity in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Felicity
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Felicity — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Felicity
What does the name Felicity mean?
Felicity means "happiness" or "good fortune," from the Latin felicitas.
Is Felicity related to Felix?
Yes — both come from the Latin felix, fortunate.
Why is Felicity not translated into English?
Unusually for a virtue name it kept the Latin, where Faith, Hope, Grace and Prudence were all rendered into English.
How popular is the name Felicity?
In 2025, Felicity was given to 330 babies in England and Wales, ranking #152 that year. It is well established in England and Wales.
Is Felicity a girl's or a boy's name?
Felicity is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Felicity?
Felicity has 4 syllables.
When was Felicity most popular?
Felicity peaked in 2017, when 938 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Felicity?
Felicity is usually shortened to Lissy.
Is Felicity a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Felicity currently ranks #152 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.