Temperance (given name)

Temperance is a primarily feminine given name usually given in reference to the virtue of moderation. Temperance was among the virtue names in regular use by Puritan families in the 1500s and 1600s. There was an increase in usage in the 19th century United States, with the hypocorism Tempy documented in the American South. The nickname is also spelled Tempe.

It was later strongly associated with the temperance movement of the 19th and early 20th centuries, which advocated either moderation or complete abstinence from the drinking of alcoholic beverages.

Recent usage in the Anglosphere was inspired by Temperance "Bones" Brennan, a character in the American FOX television series Bones, 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.

People

 * Temperance Flowerdew (1590-1628), an early settler of the Jamestown Colony in Virginia
 * Temperance Wick (1758-1822), American Revolutionary War heroine

Fictional characters

 * Temperance Brennan, fictional character by Kathy Reichs
 * Temperance "Bones" Brennan, fictional character of TV series Bones