I’m a sucker for a good virtue name, and male virtue names are especially compelling to me since there are just not as many of them; [name_m]Noble[/name_m], [name_u]Justice[/name_u], [name_m]Valor[/name_m], that sort of thing.
This popped into my head one day and I can’t get over it. It may be too much, but at the same time it seems totally usable to me. Am I crazy??
We always talk about honoring our heritage, about celebrating heritage, about aspiring to a heritage…so it kind of works to me. Memorable but not off-putting. Interesting but not totally out there.
Hmm… honestly, I think it kind of works too—while I don’t love it, I don’t hate it either. The -age ending isn’t my favorite, sound-wise, but other than that, the name fits in quite well with other virtue names, and I like it loads better than [name_f]Chastity[/name_f]!
But, if I heard the name without context, I’d assume Heritage was a girl. Not sure why—maybe because it reminds me of [name_f]Harriet[/name_f] (in sound)? Or [name_f]Liberty[/name_f]?
I actually like the name Heritage, and [name_m]Harry[/name_m] would be a cute nickname. But if I was a guy, and my name was Heritage, I don’t know if I would love it, it’s not very masculine.
It sounds very masculine to me, so I would assume boy. I think it kinda works as a name - if I met someone called Heritage I’d probably be a lot more positive. It seems like that sort of name (I mean, knowing someone with it can make a whole load of difference).
It’s a bit random, like, a noun rather than a virtue or even an adjective. It’s like using [name_f]Virtue[/name_f] itself. You know… indicative but empty of any actual trait. Does that make sense? Like using the word Country instead of [name_f]India[/name_f] or Emotion instead of [name_f]Serenity[/name_f].
I think it’s a great name! Although it may not be extraordinarily masculine-sounding, I don’t think it’s that big of a deal. I mean looking at the name [name_u]Taylor[/name_u] I wouldn’t know if it’s a girl or a boy.
Thanks, everyone!
Oliviasarah, I see what you mean. I think it would work for parents who have a special connection to the word, whose heritage means something very specific to them. Maybe they really want to recognize where they’ve been and who they’ve become, or to honor the legacies of people in their lineage. Or maybe they’re moving forward into something new and want to establish a new heritage for their child. I know the name would require some explaining, but I think there’s something really interesting about that. Thanks for weighing in!
No, I totally understand the sentiment! My heritage is important to me personally which is why I’m picky about names haha. I just do it the traditional / subtle way (names with personal meaning, cultural significance etc.)
It could definitely be an interesting middle name.
I think it’s more meaningful to use a name from your heritage, but that’s just me. Heritage itself feels sort of hokey to me. As someone from the American South, it also brings to mind the “heritage not hate” argument over the Confederate flag. But again, that’s just me.
I also think it works, but struck me as a girls name. Obviously it could work for either. There’s something about it that I don’t like, perhaps the length, maybe it seems like a parent is trying too hard. Not sure exactly.
I’m not a fan. I like word names that have a long history of being used as names, especially virtues. Ones like Heritage, [name_f]Silence[/name_f], Service, [name_f]Remember[/name_f], etc. seem odd to me, they just don’t feel like a name at all. It reminds me a bit of the celebrity who named her son [name_m]Audio[/name_m] [name_m]Science[/name_m] because she “wanted a word, not a name”.
I really like nn [name_m]Tage[/name_m] but I’m not too sure about Heritage and if someone used it I would probably assume it was a girl. Would it work for you as a MN?