Virtie
Virtue; a feminine name derived from the Latin word meaning "excellence".
Name Census estimates that about 8 living Americans carry the first name Virtie. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Virtie today is around 96 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Virtie births was 1927 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Virtie. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Virtie is about 96 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Virties were born before 1940.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Virtie. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
8
~ 1 in 42,844,292 Americans
Peak year
1927
11 babies that year
Average age
96
years old
1941 SSA rank
#4,399
Tracked since 1906
Popularity
Virtie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Virtie from the 1900s through to the 1940s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 45 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Virtie 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 Virtie 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 Virtie
The name Virtie is an English feminine given name that originated as a variant spelling of the name Virtue. It is derived from the Latin word "virtus," which means courage, valor, excellence, or moral strength. The name was likely coined during the Puritan era in England when virtue names were popular among Protestant Christians.
Virtie gained popularity as a given name in the 17th and 18th centuries, particularly among English Puritans and Quakers who valued moral qualities and virtues. It was often chosen as a name to express the parents' hope that their child would embody the virtues of righteousness, integrity, and moral fortitude.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Virtie can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England, where a Virtie Woodward was christened in 1684. Another early bearer of the name was Virtie Wallis, who was born in Gloucestershire, England, in 1702.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Virtie. Among them was Virtie Ellen Stump (1856-1932), an American educator and women's rights advocate from Indiana. Virtie Stump was a pioneer in the field of education and worked tirelessly to promote equal educational opportunities for women and girls.
Another notable Virtie was Virtie Virginia Burton (1890-1957), an American author and playwright from Alabama. She wrote several plays and novels, including the critically acclaimed work "The Circus Ring" (1924), which explored themes of love, family, and personal growth.
In the realm of politics, Virtie Steed (1923-2008) was a prominent figure in the American civil rights movement. A native of Alabama, she worked alongside Martin Luther King Jr. and played a vital role in organizing the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955-1956, which was a pivotal event in the struggle for racial equality.
Virtie Pullen (1909-1988) was an American blues singer and guitarist from Texas. She was known for her powerful vocals and her unique blend of blues, gospel, and country music styles. Pullen's recordings from the 1930s and 1940s have become influential in the preservation and appreciation of early blues music.
Virtie E. Cheshire (1874-1965) was an American educator and civil rights activist from Mississippi. She dedicated her life to promoting education and equal rights for African Americans in the segregated South. Cheshire founded several schools and worked tirelessly to improve educational opportunities for black students.
People
Virtie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Virtie as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with V
Other first names starting with V with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Virtie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Virtie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 8 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Virtie 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 42,844,292 US residents.
Is Virtie a common name?
We classify Virtie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 24.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 139 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Virtie most popular?
The single biggest year for Virtie was 1927, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Virtie is about 96 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Virtie in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Virtie a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Virtie 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.
Is Virtie still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Virtie in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Virtie can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Virtie?
You can see how many Americans are named Virtie on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.