Felicity is a female given name of English origin meaning "happiness". It is derived from the Latin word ''felicitas'' meaning "luck, good fortune". It is also used as a form of the Latin name Felicitas, taken from the name of the

Ancient Roman In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 B ...

goddess

Fortuna Fortuna ( la, Fortūna, equivalent to the Greek goddess Tyche) is the goddess of fortune and the personification of luck in Roman religion who, largely thanks to the Late Antique author Boethius, remained popular through the Middle Ages until ...

. It was also the name of

Saint Felicity of Rome Felicitas of Rome (c. 101 – 165), also anglicized as is a saint numbered among the Christian martyrs. Apart from her name, the only thing known for certain about this martyr is that she was buried in the Cemetery of Maximus, on the Via Sal ...

, a 2nd-century saint venerated by the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. ''

Felicia The name Felicia derives from the Latin adjective '' felix'', meaning "happy, lucky", though in the neuter plural form ''felicia'' it literally means "happy things" and often occurred in the phrase ''tempora felicia'', "happy times". The sense o ...

'', a related name, is a feminine form of the name '' Felix'', which is derived from an

cognomen meaning "lucky," or "successful." Its diminutive is Flick. Felicity was the 236th most popular name for girls born in

England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. The substantive law of the jurisdiction is ...

in 2007. The name was the 706th most popular name for girls born in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

in 2007, down from 619th place in 2006. The name was most popular in the United States in 1999, the year after the television show '' Felicity'' debuted. It was the 390th most popular name for girls in 1999, rising from 818th place in 1998, the year it debuted on the list of 1,000 most popular names for girls in the United States. Felicity Merriman is a red-headed Colonial doll produced by the American Girl company. The doll, which has a tie-in book series, movies, and a number of accessories, was introduced in the United States in 1991.

In other languages

*Felicyta (

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

) *Felicidad, Felicitas, (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: ** Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Ca ...

) *Felistas (

) *Felicidade ( Portuguese) *Felìcita ( Italian) *Felicitász ( Hungarian) *

Felicitas In ancient Roman culture, ''felicitas'' (from the Latin adjective ''felix'', "fruitful, blessed, happy, lucky") is a condition of divinely inspired productivity, blessedness, or happiness. ''Felicitas'' could encompass both a woman's fertility a ...

(

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

) *Felicitat (

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid ...

) *Félicité (

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

) *Felizitas (

)

People

* Felicity of Rome, 2nd-century Christian martyr and saint * Saint Felicity, early 3rd-century co-martyr of Saint Perpetua *

Felicity Abram Felicity Abram (born 16 August 1986 in Brisbane, Queensland) Australian professional triathlete. Early life and education Felicity Abram , or more often known as Flick , was born on 16 August 1986 in Brisbane, Queensland, to Louisa and Bill A ...

(born 1986), Australian triathlete * Felicity Aston (born 1977), British adventurer and climate scientist, first person to ski across Antarctica on her own power * Felicity Cockram, Australian film producer * Felicity Dahl (born 1938), British film producer * Felicity Dowker (born 1980), Australian fiction writer, primarily in the horror genre * Felicity Gallup (born 1969), British badminton player * Felicity Galvez (born 1985), Australian swimmer and two-time Olympic champion * Felicity Goodyear-Smith (born 1952), a medical doctor, academic, and public health advocate from New Zealand *

Felicity Huffman Felicity Kendall Huffman (born December 9, 1962) is an American actress. Huffman began her acting career in theatre, and in the 1990s also had many supporting roles in film and television. She starred as Dana Whitaker in the comedy-drama '' Spor ...

(born 1962), American actress *

Felicity Johnson Felicity Jane Johnson (born 30 May 1971) is an Australian Paralympic tandem cyclist, who won a silver medal at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing and a gold medal at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London. Personal Felicity Jane Johnson ...

(born 1971), Australian Paralympic tandem cyclist *

Felicity Jones Felicity Rose Hadley Jones (born 17 October 1983) is a British actress. She started her professional acting career as a child, appearing in '' The Treasure Seekers'' (1996) at age 12. She went on to play Ethel Hallow for one series of the tel ...

(born 1983), English actress * Felicity Kendal (born 1946), English actress *

Felicity LaFortune Felicity LaFortune is an American actress and singer from Oak Park, Illinois. She has appeared in numerous theatre productions, including on Broadway, as well as in film and on television, including the daytime soap operas ''Ryan's Hope'' and ''A ...

(born 1954), American actress *

Felicity Leydon-Davis Felicity Carol Leydon-Davis (born 22 June 1994) is a New Zealand cricketer who currently plays for Otago. She took a five-wicket haul on her Women's One Day International Women's One Day International (WODI) is the limited overs form of women ...

(born 1994), New Zealand cricketer *

Felicity Lott Dame Felicity Ann Emwhyla Lott, (born 8 May 1947) is an English soprano. Education Lott was born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. From her earliest years she was musical, having started studying piano at age 5. She also played violin and be ...

(born 1947), English soprano * Felicity Montagu (born 1960), English actress * Felicity Okpete Ovai (born 1961), commissioner of the Rivers State Ministry of Works * Felicity Palmer (born 1944), English mezzo-soprano and music professor * Felicity Peake (1913-2002), founding director of the UK's Women's Royal Air Force * Felicity Sheedy-Ryan (born 1985), Australian triathlete * Felicity Urquhart (born 1976), Australian country music singer-songwriter * Felicity Ward (born 1980), Australian comedian *

Felicity Wardlaw Felicity Wardlaw (born 14 December 1977) is a female road cyclist from Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Austral ...

(born 1977), Australian road cyclist * Felicity "Flick" Colby (1946–2011), American dancer * Felicity "Flick" Rea (born c. 1937), English politician

Fictional characters

Felicity Hardy The Scarlet Spider is an alias used by several fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most notably Ben Reilly and Kaine Parker, both of whom are genetic replicates of the superhero Spider-Man. Both ...

, a Marvel Comics character, also known as the third Scarlet Spider * Felicity King, in the television series ''

Road to Avonlea ''Road to Avonlea'' is a Canadian television series first broadcast in Canada between January 7, 1990, and March 31, 1996, as part of the ''CBC Family Hour'' anthology series, and in the United States starting on March 5, 1990. It was created b ...

'', played by Gema Zamprogna *

Felicity Merriman Felicity may refer to: Places * Felicity, California, United States, an unincorporated community * Felicity, Ohio, United States, a village * Felicity, Trinidad and Tobago, a community in Chaguanas Entertainment * ''Felicity'' (TV series), ...

, from the ''American Girl'' series of dolls and books *

Felicity Porter The following is a partial list of characters from the television series '' Felicity'': Main characters Felicity Elizabeth Porter The title character is played by Keri Russell. The series opens with Felicity's high school graduation. Follow ...

, the main character in the television series ''Felicity'', played by Keri Russell * Felicity Scully, in the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'' *

Felicity Shagwell The following is a list of fictional characters from the '' Austin Powers'' series of films. ''Austin Powers'' is a series of American spy action comedy films: '' Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery'' (1997), '' Austin Powers: The Spy ...

, from the movie ''Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me'', played by Heather Graham *

Felicity Smoak Felicity Smoak is a fictional character appearing in comics published by DC Comics. Her first appearance was in ''The Fury of Firestorm'' #23 (May 1984), created by writer Gerry Conway and artist Rafael Kayanan. She was originally the manager of ...

, a DC Comics character **

, a character from the television series ''Arrow'', based on DC Comics, played by Emily Bett Rickards * Felicity Wishes, the main character in the book series

Felicity Wishes Felicity Wishes is a British children's book series created, written, illustrated and privately owned by the Character Brand CreatoEmma Thomson Books include over 140 story books, activity books, picture books and annuals. The popularity of the boo ...

* Felicity Worthington, in Libba Bray's novel ''A Great and Terrible Beauty'', as well as its two sequels *

Felicity (comics) The Omega Men are a fictional team of extraterrestrial superheroes who have appeared in various comic book series published by DC Comics. They first appeared in '' Green Lantern'' (vol. 2) #141 (June 1981), and were created by Marv Wolfman and J ...

, a member of DC Comics' Omega Men, now known as Nebula * Felicity, in '' The Dreamland Chronicles'' fantasy webcomic and comic book series * Felicity, in 2009 comedy film ''

The Boat That Rocked ''The Boat That Rocked'' (titled ''Pirate Radio'' in North America) is a 2009 British comedy film written and directed by Richard Curtis about pirate radio in the United Kingdom during the 1960s. The film has an ensemble cast consisting of Phi ...

'' * Felicity, in the novel ''

Felidae Felidae () is the family of mammals in the order Carnivora colloquially referred to as cats, and constitutes a clade. A member of this family is also called a felid (). The term "cat" refers both to felids in general and specifically to the ...

'' * Felicity Rivers, in Enid Blyton's book series ''

Malory Towers ''Malory Towers'' is a series of six novels by English children's author Enid Blyton. The series is based on a girls' boarding school that Blyton's daughter attended, Benenden School, which relocated during World War II to the Hotel Bristol i ...

'' * Felicity Lemon, secretary to

Hercule Poirot Hercule Poirot (, ) is a fictional Belgian detective created by British writer Agatha Christie. Poirot is one of Christie's most famous and long-running characters, appearing in 33 novels, two plays ('' Black Coffee'' and '' Alibi''), and more ...

, fictional Belgian detective created by Dame Agatha Christie * Felicity Parham, a background character in ''

The Amazing World of Gumball ''The Amazing World of Gumball'' is an animated sitcom created by Ben Bocquelet for Cartoon Network. The series concerns the lives of 12-year-old Gumball Watterson, an anthropomorphic blue cat, and adoptive goldfish brother Darwin, who atten ...

''. * Felicity, a magical cat and the main character in '' Rainbow Butterfly Unicorn Kitty''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Felicity (Given Name) English feminine given names Virtue names