| Chastity | |
| Gender: | Feminine |
| Meaning: | Chastity |
| Language: | English via Late Latin |
| Nickname: | Chas, Chaz |
| Related Names: | Chasity |
Chastity is a feminine given name meaning chastity, referring to the virtue of exercising self-control over one's sexual behavior, which might mean practicing celibacy for a person who is unmarried, or monogamy for a person who is married. The name comes from the Late Latin word castitas. According to some sources, it was one of many virtue names in use by Puritans in the Colonial United States. The name increased in usage in the United States in the early 1970s after it was used by Sonny Bono and Cher for their child Chaz Bono, who was originally named Chastity Bono, in 1969. Chasity is a modern variant.[1] However, other sources state that the name was not actually in use by the Puritans.[2] Cher portrayed a character called Chastity in the 1969 film Chastity that was released the same year Cher named her child.[3] [4] Other modern spelling variants and name variants in use include Chasidy, Chassidy, Chassiti, Chassity, Chastady, Chastidy, Chastitea, Chastitee, Chastitey, Chastiti, and Chastitie.[5] Some other variations of the name in use in the United States during the 19th century were Chassie, Chasta, Chasteen, Chastin, Chastina, Chastine, and Chasty.[6] Some sources note that a girl named Chastity might not resemble the meaning of the name.[7]
Chastity was among the 1,000 most popular given names for girls in the United States between 1972 and 1993. It peaked in usage in 1974, when it was the 311th most popular name and used for 0.048 percent of all American girls born that year.[8] Variant Chasity was among the 1,000 most popular names for American girls between 1972 and 2008. Both names remain in occasional use in the United States.[9] [10]