Declining since 2007.
Popularity of Innocence since 2001
Babies named Innocence per year in U.S. Social Security records.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls |
|---|---|
| 2000s | 50 |
| 2010s | 52 |
| 2020s | 14 |
Meaning & origin
Innocence is a modern virtue name that entered the U.S. baby name charts in 2001, well after the initial wave of Puritan virtue names like Patience and Prudence. Its peak year was 2007, after which it has been in decline, following a trajectory shared by many novelty virtue names that enjoyed brief attention in the 2000s. The name has never reached the top 1000 and has no top states (all zero in the data), underscoring its extremely low frequency even at its peak. Parents who choose Innocence may be drawn to its literal meaning and its connection to a state of purity, aligning with the later trend of abstract and aspirational word names. As of 2025, Innocence remains a rare choice, with fewer than five per million births in any given year, and its trajectory continues downward.
Innocence derives directly from the English word 'innocence', which comes from Middle English, from Old French, from Latin 'innocentia' meaning 'harmlessness, blamelessness'. It has been used as a given name, particularly for girls, since the early 2000s, following the trend of virtue names such as Grace, Faith, and Serenity.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Inno, Cence
Sibling names for Innocence
Names that share Innocence's style, for a brother or sister.
