indicate the level to which a name has been verified.
Gender Masculine & Feminine
Other Forms FormsSill (common diminutive)
Meaning & History
Simply from the English word silence, from Middle English from Old French, from Latin silentium, from silere "be silent". A popular virtue name amongst the Puritans in the 17th century, it was usually given to girls (very occasionally to boys), ultimately taken from the admonition of Saint Paul: "Let the women learn in silence, with all subjection." Translated into Latin it became Tace, which "in its turn developed into Tacey". It was used by Pamela Belle for a Puritan character in her novels Wintercombe, Herald of Joy and Treason's Gift.