Hope

♀ Girl

Pronounced HOHP /hoʊp/High

Meaning: From the Old English 'hopa', meaning hope — the expectation and desire for a positive outcome. One of the three theological virtues (Faith, Hope, Love) in Christian tradition.High

In 30 seconds: Hope is one of the most transparent names in English — it means exactly what it says, one syllable of pure positive expectation. A Puritan virtue name that has never stopped feeling luminously relevant.

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Origin HighOld English

MeaningFrom the Old English 'hopa', meaning hope — the expectation and desire for a positive outcome. One of the three theological virtues (Faith, Hope, Love) in Christian tradition.

U.S. rank (2025)#352 ↘ Falling

2025 U.S. births868 girls (0.05% of U.S. girls)

Peak year2000

Total births (all-time)≈ 97,183

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

History & Origin

Hope derives directly from the Old English word hopa, meaning hope or expectation of good. As one of the three theological virtues articulated by Saint Paul (1 Corinthians 13:13), Hope has deep resonance in Christian thought. Puritan settlers in England and colonial America favored virtue names — Faith, Grace, Patience, Prudence, and Hope — as given names expressing their spiritual ideals.

Hope has been used as a given name for women since the Puritan era and has maintained a steady presence across Anglo-American naming history. It has never been extremely fashionable but has never gone out of style — a rare feat for a name nearly 400 years old. In the twenty-first century it entered the US top 200 girls' names as parents revisited virtue names alongside Grace and Faith. Its single-syllable purity gives it enduring appeal.

Did you know? Hope is one of the three theological virtues in Christian theology, alongside Faith and Charity (Love) — codified by Saint Paul in 1 Corinthians 13 — making it one of three first names that are also the foundational virtues of Christian ethics, and the only one consistently given to women.

Overall data confidence 95%

Oxford English Dictionary: hope — Old English hopa and its theological virtue historySocial Security Administration Name Data — US popularity history for Hope

Variations

Hopi

Nicknames

Hope

Famous Bearers

★Hope Solo (1981–)
American soccer player, two-time Olympic gold medalist and World Cup champion.

If you like Hope…

Faith— Puritan theological virtue name used as a single-syllable girls' name in the same tradition

Grace— Puritan virtue name with the same one-syllable simplicity and theological weight

Joy— single-syllable virtue/emotion name from the same Puritan naming tradition

Frequently Asked

What does the name Hope mean?

Hope means 'hope' or 'expectation of good', from Old English hopa — one of the three theological virtues in Christian tradition.

How do you pronounce Hope?

Hope is pronounced HOHP (/hoʊp/), a single syllable rhyming with 'rope'.

Is Hope a boy or girl name?

Hope is almost exclusively a girl's name in current usage.

How popular is Hope?

Hope has been in the US top 200 girls' names and is rising as part of a broader virtue name revival alongside Grace and Faith.