Faith (given name)
Faith is an English feminine given name derived from the word faith. It became popularized when the Puritans began using it as a virtue name during the 17th century. Puritans also used Faith as part of longer phrase names, such as Be-faithful, Faithful, Faith-my-joy, and Fight-the-good-fight-of-faith.
The name is also the usual English translation of the Greek name of [Saints Faith, Hope (given name)|Hope and Charity|Saint Faith], an early Christian child martyr who was tortured to death along with her sisters Hope and Charity. She is known as Pistis in Greek and Fides in Church Latin and her name is translated differently in other languages.
Faith, Hope and Charity, the three theological virtues, are names traditionally given to triplet girls, just as Faith and Hope remain common names for twin girls. There were 40 sets of twins named Faith and Hope born in the United States in 2009, the second most common name combination for twin girls. In 2011, there were 33 sets of twin girls named Faith and Hope in the United States, the fourth most common name combination for twins. One example were the American triplets Faith, Hope and Charity Cardwell, who were born in 1899 in Texas and were recognized in 1994 by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's longest lived triplets.
Faith has been a consistently popular name for girls in the United States, ranking among the top 1,000 names since 1880 and the top 500 names since 1921. It reached peak popularity in the United States in 2002, when it was the 48th most popular name for American girls. It ranked among the top 100 names in the United States between 1999 and 2016. Faith has also been a well-used name elsewhere in the Anglosphere, including Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. It has also been well used in the Netherlands.
Usage of the name increased during the 1990s due to popular culture influences such as the fame of the American country western singer Faith Hill and the debut of the character Faith Lehane on the 1997-2003 American television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Other cultures also give names in reference to religious faith. The name Iman is used by Muslims for both boys and girls in reference to faith in Islam.
Women
- Faith Andrews, American scholar of the Shakers
- Faith Anne, Filipina singer
- Faith Avis, Canadian journalist, writer, and naturalist
- Faith Baldwin, American writer of romance novels
- Faith Bandler, Australian civil rights activist of South Sea islander heritage
- Tamara Faith Berger, Canadian author and novelist
- Faith Bikani, South African politician
- Faith Brook, English actress
- Faith Bromberg, American painter and feminist
- Faith Brown, British actress and impressionist
- Faith Bruyning, Dutch jurist and politician
- Faith Burrows, American cartoonist
- Faith Celli, English actress
- Faith Chemutai, Kenyan long distance runner
- Faith Coloccia, American artist and musician
- Faith Dane, American entertainer
- Faith Daniels, American television news anchor, reporter, and talk show host
- Faith Ann Del Rosario Herminigildo, a Filipina singer, and television host known professionally as Faith Anne
- Faith Dillon, American taekwondo athlete
- Faith Domergue, American film and television actress
- Faith Ellen, Canadian academic
- Faith Esham, American operatic soprano
- Faith Evans, American R&B singer
- Faith Ford, American actress
- Faith Fowler, American pastor and community activist
- Faith Gasa, South African politician
- Faith Gibson, British nurse
- Faith Gillezeau, Trinidadian pharmacist, athlete, model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Universe Trinidad and Tobago 2023
- Faith Gitau, Kenyan politician
- Faith Goldy, Canadian political commentator and reporter
- Faith Lanman Gorrell, American home economist and educator
- Faith Hedgepeth, American murder victim
- Faithe Herman, American actress
- Faith Erin Hicks, Canadian cartoonist and animator
- Faith Hill, American country and pop singer
- Faith Holsaert, American educator and activist during the civil rights movement
- Faith Hubley, American animator
- Faith Jefferies, American professional wrestler, taekwondo practitioner, and musician known professionally as Nikkita Lyons
- Faith Hunter, American author and blogger
- Faith Huntington, Colonial American woman who lived during the American Revolutionary War
- Faith Idehen, Nigerian sprinter
- Faith Jaques, British illustrator
- Faith Jenkins, American attorney, legal commentator and media personality
- Faith Kakembo, Swedish-Ugandan singer and nurse anesthetist
- Faith Keza, Rwandan business executive
- Faith Kipyegon, Kenyan middle- and long-distance runner and Olympian
- Faith Kunihira Philo, Ugandan politician
- Faith McNulty, American non-fiction author
- Faith Michael, Nigerian footballer
- Faith Minton, American television and film actress and stuntwoman
- Lady Mary Faith Montagu, British aristocrat
- Faith Nakut, Ugandan politician
- Faith Nathan, Australian rugby union player and Olympian
- Faith Ng, Singaporean playwright
- Faith Nisperos, Filipina volleyball player
- Faith Nketsi, South African influencer, model and media personality
- Faith Nolan, Canadian social activist, folk and jazz singer-songwriter and guitarist
- Faith Okwose, Nigerian sprinter
- Faith Popcorn, American futurist
- Faith Rich, American activist and educator
- Faith Ringgold, American painter, author, mixed media sculptor, performance artist, and intersectional activist, perhaps best known for her narrative quilts
- Faith Rivera, American singer-songwriter
- Faith Salie, American journalist, writer, actress, comedian, television, radio, and podcast host
- Faith Da Silva, Filipina actress
- Faith Spotted Eagle, American and Yankton Sioux activist and politician
- Faith Thomas, Australian Aboriginal cricketer and hockey player
- Faith Torrez, American artistic gymnast
- Faith Van Duin, New Zealand mixed martial artist
- Faith Vilas, American planetary scientist and Director of the MMT Observatory in Arizona
- Cora Faith Walker, American politician
- Faith Susan "Alberta" Watson, Canadian film and television actress
- Faith Whittlesey, American politician, diplomat, lawyer, and writer
- Faith Wilding, Paraguayan American multidisciplinary artist
- Faith Winter, U.S. legislator
- Faith Yang, Taiwanese singer and model
- Faith B. Yisrael, Tobagonian public health official and politician
Fiction
- Faith, supporting character in Summerland
- Faith Lehane, character in ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer''
Stage name
- Faith Bacon, stage name of American burlesque dancer and actress Frances Bacon