Cherity
A feminine English name meaning "benevolent love for humankind".
Name Census estimates that about 213 living Americans carry the first name Cherity. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Cherity today is around 43 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cherity births was 1972 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cherity. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
213
~ 1 in 1,609,175 Americans
Peak year
1972
19 babies that year
Average age
43
years old
2013 SSA rank
#15,016
Tracked since 1970
Popularity
Cherity: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cherity from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 119 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cherity by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Cherity during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Cherity
The name Cherity is an English variant of the more common name Charity, which has its origins in the Latin word "caritas," meaning "love" or "affection." The name was likely first used in English-speaking regions during the Middle Ages, when the concept of charity, or selfless love and concern for others, was a central tenet of Christian teachings.
In the early days of Christianity, the word "caritas" was often used to refer to the virtue of charity, which was considered one of the three theological virtues, along with faith and hope. The name Cherity, therefore, would have been associated with these ideals of compassion, generosity, and a willingness to help those in need.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cherity can be found in the English Parish Registers from the 16th century. For example, a record from the parish of St. Mary's in Islington, London, mentions a Cherity Smythe who was baptized in 1587.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Cherity. In the 17th century, Cherity Bunbury (1630-1692) was an English landowner and philanthropist who founded a school for underprivileged children in Suffolk.
In the 19th century, Cherity Galloway (1815-1888) was an American educator and abolitionist who established one of the first schools for African Americans in Mississippi.
Another notable figure was Cherity Witherspoon (1872-1948), a Scottish suffragette and campaigner for women's rights, who played a significant role in the Women's Social and Political Union's efforts to secure voting rights for women in the United Kingdom.
In the field of literature, Cherity Brooke (1901-1982) was an American novelist and short story writer whose works often explored themes of love, family, and the complexities of human relationships.
Lastly, Cherity Hollins (1925-2003) was a renowned American jazz singer and pianist who performed with some of the greatest names in jazz, including Dizzy Gillespie and Art Blakey.
While the name Cherity may not be as common today as its more widely recognized variant, Charity, it has a rich history and a connection to the ideals of love, compassion, and a commitment to helping others.
People
Cherity + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cherity as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Cherity: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cherity?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 213 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cherity going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,609,175 US residents.
Is Cherity a common name?
We classify Cherity as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 230 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cherity most popular?
The single biggest year for Cherity was 1972, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cherity is about 43 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Cherity a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cherity in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.