New Post
Search
Help[Opinions] Chastity
I met a girl named this yesterday. Do you think it works? It has the nickname of Chas after all. Do you like Chastity?
I guess it became common in the 70s when Cher's daughter Chastity Sun was born.
Do you have any idea why Chasity became even more common? It doesn't look like a spelling variant that was chosen on purpose like Chastitee or something but more like someone didn't know how to spell it. Do you think that was the case or were people trying to be creative? Or did they like the sound better, any ideas? (they do sound slightly different, don't they?).
I guess it became common in the 70s when Cher's daughter Chastity Sun was born.
Do you have any idea why Chasity became even more common? It doesn't look like a spelling variant that was chosen on purpose like Chastitee or something but more like someone didn't know how to spell it. Do you think that was the case or were people trying to be creative? Or did they like the sound better, any ideas? (they do sound slightly different, don't they?).
This message was edited 6/3/2017, 3:59 AM
Archived Thread - replies disabled
1
Replies
I looked up Chastity on Rootsweb, and it seems to be a genuine Puritan name (even though I've heard some sites claim that Chastity was not used by the Puritans), and seems to have been used occasionally until about the late 19th century, when it pretty much died out. Modern usage of the name most likely stems from Chastity Bono, since the popularity charts make it pretty obvious.
Chasity might have arisen due to confusion with the similar-sounding virtue name Charity (which was traditionally more common than Chastity). It seems that even in the old days, Chastity and Charity were frequently confused.
Considering that the Puritans were quite prudish, I highly doubt that Chastity had sexual connotations to them. I also doubt Cher and Sonny Bono had such connotations in mind when they named their daughter. Chastity probably didn't gain its modern sexual connotations until years after Chastity Bono was born. (My guess for when it did would be at least the early 80s, when the name was decreasing in popularity.) I've heard numerous times that many names that are now considered trashy started out as more upscale choices. Chastity might have been more upscale to parents 45 years ago than parents today.
Chasity might have arisen due to confusion with the similar-sounding virtue name Charity (which was traditionally more common than Chastity). It seems that even in the old days, Chastity and Charity were frequently confused.
Considering that the Puritans were quite prudish, I highly doubt that Chastity had sexual connotations to them. I also doubt Cher and Sonny Bono had such connotations in mind when they named their daughter. Chastity probably didn't gain its modern sexual connotations until years after Chastity Bono was born. (My guess for when it did would be at least the early 80s, when the name was decreasing in popularity.) I've heard numerous times that many names that are now considered trashy started out as more upscale choices. Chastity might have been more upscale to parents 45 years ago than parents today.
This message was edited 6/4/2017, 10:51 AM
1
I think the sexual connotations make it really awkward, and it might cause a lot of teasing.
1
I like Hope, Grace, Verity and even Temperance, but Chastity - no thanks! While I would like a daughter to be hopeful, graceful (I mean as in being kind to others, not as in being a cute little ballerina), to speak the truth and to be careful with things like alcohol, I wouldn't ask of her to be chaste...
It's a trashy name. Cassidy is OK, but Chasity is almost as bad as Chastity.
It's a trashy name. Cassidy is OK, but Chasity is almost as bad as Chastity.
This message was edited 6/3/2017, 10:08 AM
1
I always assumed they used Chasity because they liked the sound of Chastity but not so much the meaning, or they wanted to separate the name from its association with Sonny & Cher. Or they didn't like the tit part. Anyway, shallow reasons, like with Emmaleigh vs Emily, or like now Aubrey and Zoey are more popular than Audrey and Zoe.
I don't even know if they are supposed to sound different but I've always assumed that Chasity rhymes Cassidy.
I think Chastity is an interesting old virtue name, though nmsaa, and its use by Sonny & Cher is a very interesting case. In real life it and Chasity are sort of oddities, but don't strike me any particular way. They're like, Colleen and Sharyl. Whatever.
I don't even know if they are supposed to sound different but I've always assumed that Chasity rhymes Cassidy.
I think Chastity is an interesting old virtue name, though nmsaa, and its use by Sonny & Cher is a very interesting case. In real life it and Chasity are sort of oddities, but don't strike me any particular way. They're like, Colleen and Sharyl. Whatever.
This message was edited 6/3/2017, 10:03 AM
1
It seems that Sonny and Cher named their daughter Chastity because at the time of her birth, they had just made a movie entitled "Chastity". The main character, played by Cher, was named Chastity. The significance of the name was that the character, although a freeloader and a con artist, refused to have sex with any of the men of whom she took advantage during the course of the film.
Okay, I guess since they'd made the movie the name had significance for them. Still weird, considering the title character was not exactly admirable. Also the movie was a terrible flop lol.
Okay, I guess since they'd made the movie the name had significance for them. Still weird, considering the title character was not exactly admirable. Also the movie was a terrible flop lol.
1
It's an older name to me. Not too common anymore. Overall a pretty name.
1
Yes, I am quite surprised it was at its most common in the liberal 70s...
1
I don't like it because of its meaning. I don't usually care about meanings, unless the name is an English word that's meaning is immediately clear to any English speaker, as Chastity is.
I don't like categorizing people based upon their sexual behavior. The fact that the word "chastity" can be seen as being suitable as a name implies that there is something inherently virtuous about abstaining from sex. And the flip side of that is that there's something wrong with not abstaining. Ugh.
And don't get me started on the man-made construct of "virginity", for which "chastity" is often a synonym.
I know that most people who use the name are not thinking of the meaning and are just attracted to the sound, which explains Chasity. It's a little easier to say. But I honestly think this is one of the worst meanings a name can have, and it's not a hidden one, and people should think beyond the sound when it comes to Chastity.
I don't like categorizing people based upon their sexual behavior. The fact that the word "chastity" can be seen as being suitable as a name implies that there is something inherently virtuous about abstaining from sex. And the flip side of that is that there's something wrong with not abstaining. Ugh.
And don't get me started on the man-made construct of "virginity", for which "chastity" is often a synonym.
I know that most people who use the name are not thinking of the meaning and are just attracted to the sound, which explains Chasity. It's a little easier to say. But I honestly think this is one of the worst meanings a name can have, and it's not a hidden one, and people should think beyond the sound when it comes to Chastity.
1
I think Chastity is a very low-class, trashy kind of name. I would almost say it epitomizes the idea of "low class" and "trashy." Double that for Chasity, Chassity, Chassidy. I think those variants got used because Chastity is not as easy to say clearly, and probably a lot of the people who thought it was a good name didn't know any better.
1
and I would also venture to say ...
that whereas names like Grace and Faith (though they're very popular across the board) are especially popular with religious parents who value the traits of grace and faith and hope and such, Chastity seems to have been rarely used by people who value chastity, sexual or otherwise.
that whereas names like Grace and Faith (though they're very popular across the board) are especially popular with religious parents who value the traits of grace and faith and hope and such, Chastity seems to have been rarely used by people who value chastity, sexual or otherwise.
1
Yes, I agree with you!
1