Temperance is a primarily feminine given name, usually given in reference to the virtue of moderation. Temperance was among the

virtue name Virtue names, also known as grace names, are used as personal names in a number of cultures. They express virtues that the parents wish their child to embody or be associated with. In the English-speaking world, beginning in the 16th century, the P ...

s in regular use by

Puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to rid the Church of England of what they considered to be Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should b ...

families in the 1500s and 1600s. The name was among the top 150 names used for girls in the 1790s in the United States, the time period when it was most popular. The name remained in use during the 19th century in the United States, with the

hypocorism A hypocorism ( or ; from Ancient Greek ; sometimes also ''hypocoristic''), or pet name, is a name used to show affection for a person. It may be a diminutive form of a person's name, such as ''Izzy'' for Isabel or ''Bob (given name), Bob'' fo ...

Tempy documented in the

American South The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is census regions United States Census Bureau. It is between the Atlantic Ocean and the ...

. The nickname is also spelled Tempe. The name was later strongly associated with the

temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting Temperance (virtue), temperance or total abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and ...

of the 19th and early 20th centuries, which advocated either moderation or complete

abstinence Abstinence is the practice of self-enforced restraint from indulging in bodily activities that are widely experienced as giving pleasure. Most frequently, the term refers to sexual abstinence, but it can also mean abstinence from alcohol (drug), ...

from the drinking of

alcoholic beverages Drinks containing alcohol are typically divided into three classes—beers, wines, and spirits—with alcohol content typically between 3% and 50%. Drinks with less than 0.5% are sometimes considered non-alcoholic. Many societies have a di ...

. Recent usage in the

Anglosphere The Anglosphere, also known as the Anglo-American world, is a Western-led sphere of influence among the Anglophone countries. The core group of this sphere of influence comprises five developed countries that maintain close social, cultura ...

was inspired by

Temperance "Bones" Brennan Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan, Ph.D. (born Joy Keenan) is a fictional character portrayed by Emily Deschanel in the American Fox television series '' Bones''. An anthropologist, forensic anthropologist, and kinesiologist, she is described ...

, a character in the American

FOX Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

television series ''

Bones A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, an ...

'', which aired from 2005 to 2017. The name ranked among the 1,000 most popular given names for newborn American girls between 2011 and 2014.

Notable people

Temperance Flowerdew Temperance Flowerdew, Lady Yeardley ( – )Dorman, John Frederick, ''Adventurers of Purse and Person'', 4th ed., v.3, pp861-872 was an early settler of the Jamestown Colony and a key member of the Flowerdew family, significant participants in the ...

(1590-1628), an early settler of the Jamestown Colony in Virginia *

Temperance Wick Temperance Wick (October 30, 1758 – April 26, 1822), also known as Tempe Wick and Tempe, was an American Revolutionary War heroine and the subject of many early American legends. She is traditionally regarded as an example of female patriotism ...

(1758–1822), American Revolutionary War heroine

Fictional characters

Temperance Brennan Temperance Daessee Brennan is a fictional character created by author Kathy Reichs, and is the hero of her crime novel series (which are usually referred to as the Temperance Brennan novels). She was introduced in Reichs' first novel, '' Déjà D ...

, protagonist of novels by Kathy Reichs *

, in the American TV series ''Bones''

References

{{given name English feminine given names Feminine given names Virtue names