Verity![]() Truth by Alfred Schwarzschild. |
| Gender | feminine rarely masculine |
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| Word/name | Old French |
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| Meaning | truth |
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| Region of origin | England |
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| Related names | Veretie, Verety, Verita, Veritie |
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Verity (alias Veretie, Verety, Verita, Veritie, etc.) is a female first name and a surname. As a first name it derives from the Latin feminine noun veritas, meaning "truth". It is thus an equivalent of Alethea, a female first name first used in England circa 1585, derived from the ancient and modern Greek feminine noun αλήθεια (pronounced "al-ee-thia"), meaning "truth". It was adopted in England as a Puritan[1] and Quaker virtue name, truthfulness being considered as a desirable attribute especially in women, and following a new Protestant tradition of naming children after virtues instead of saints in order to avoid idolatry.
Verity is also a surname, which may have more ancient unrelated origins, possibly being a corruption of a similar word.[2]
First name
- Verity Crawley (born 1994), English professional bowler
- Verity Barton (born 1985), Australian (Queensland) politician
- Verity Firth (born 1973), Australian politician
- Verity James, Australian TV and radio presenter
- Verity Lambert (1935–2007), English television producer
- Verity Laughton (born 1952), Australian playwright
- Verity Marshall (born 1986), English actress
- Verity Rushworth (born 1985), English actress
- Verity Sharp (born 1970), English broadcast radio personality
- Verity Snook-Larby (born 1970), English race walker
Fictional characters
Surname
- Other
References
- ^ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006). Oxford Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. p. 270. ISBN 0-19-861060-2.
- ^ Surnames had been adopted by families in England centuries before the Puritan era
