Felicity is a feminine 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 goddess Fortuna. It was also the name of Saint Felicity of Rome, a 2nd-century saint venerated by the Roman Catholic Church. The Latin Felicia, a related name, is a feminine form of the name Felix, which is derived from an Ancient Roman cognomen meaning "lucky," or "successful." Traditional English diminutives include Fee, Flick, Flicka, Fliss, Flissy, Flossie, Flossy, Liccy, Liss, Lissa, Lissie, and Lissy, among others.
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Usage
Prior to the Victorian era, Felicia and its vernacular form Felice were the most commonly used forms of the name in English-speaking countries. Some forms of the name such as Philicia became associated with the etymologically unrelated name Phyllis. The name Felicity was used by English Puritans from the late 16th century but was less commonly used by them than other virtue names. The name Felicity has been in regular use in the United Kingdom since the late 19th century and, as of the 2020s, remained among the top 200 names in use for British girls.
The name was also among the top 100 names for girls born in Australia at different times from the mid-1970s to early 1980s. Felicity has also been in regular use in New Zealand.
Felicity also has been in occasional use in North America since the Colonial era, though Felice and Felicia and variations of the name in other languages were much more common. Felicity first ranked among the top 1,000 names for newborn girls in the United States in 1998, the year the American television show Felicity debuted. Felicity was the 390th most popular name for American girls in 1999, rising from 818th place the previous year. The name has also been among the 1,000 most popular names in use for girls in Canada since the late 1990s. Usage of the name has also been influenced by other media. Felicity Merriman is a red-headed American 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. American actress Felicity Huffman has also increased awareness of the name. The character Felicity Smoak was introduced on the American television series Arrow in 2012.
In other languages
Felicitat (Catalan)
Felicia, Feliciënne (Dutch)
Félicie, Félicienne, Félicité, Félicitée (French)
Felicie, Felicitas, Felize, Felizitas, Zita (German)
Felícia, Feliciána, Felicitász, Zita (Hungarian)
Felicia, Felisha, Felisya, Felisa, Felice, Felisia, Felishia (Indonesian)
Felicia, Feliciana, Felicita (Italian)
Felicja, Felicyta, Zyta (Polish)
Felícia, Felicidade (Portuguese)
Felicia (Romanian)
Felicia, Feliciana, Felicidad, Felicitas, Felistas, Felixa, Felixia, Felixita (Spanish)
Felicia (Swedish)
Women
Felicity of Rome, 2nd-century Christian martyr and saint
Saint Felicity, early 3rd-century co-martyr of Saint Perpetua
Felicity Abbott, New Zealand production designer
Felicity Abram (born 1986), Australian triathlete
Felicity Ama Agyemang (born 1977), Ghanaian actress, TV show hostess, and music composer also known as Nana Ama McBrown
Felicity Askew (1894-?), British artist
Felicity Aston (born 1977), British adventurer and climate scientist, first person to ski across Antarctica on her own power
Felicity Barr (born 1970), English broadcast journalist
Felicity Brown (born 1977), English artist and designer
Felicity Bryan (1945–2020), British literary agent
Felicity Buchan (born 1970), British politician and former banker
Felicity Campbell (1909-?), British painter and illustrator
Felicity Campbell (born 1974), Australian short track speed skater and Olympian
Felicity Charlton (1913–2009), British artist
Felicity Cockram, Australian film producer
Felicity "Flick" Colby (1946–2011), American dancer
Fictional characters
Felicity (comics), a member of DC Comics' Omega Men, now known as Nebula
Felicity, a magical cat and the main character in Rainbow Butterfly Unicorn Kitty.
Felicity, in The Dreamland Chronicles fantasy webcomic and comic book series
Felicity, in 2009 comedy film The Boat That Rocked
Felicity, in the novel Felidae
Felicity Fieldmouse, the older sister of Mickey Mouse
Felicity Hardy, a Marvel Comics character, also known as the third Scarlet Spider
Felicity King, in the television series Road to Avonlea, played by Gema Zamprogna
Felicity Lemon, secretary to Hercule Poirot, fictional Belgian detective created by Dame Agatha Christie
Felicity Merriman, from the American Girl series of dolls and books
Felicity Montague, the main character in the novel The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee
Felicity Parham, a background character in The Amazing World of Gumball.
Felicity Porter, the main character in the television series Felicity, played by Keri Russell
Felicity Rivers, in Enid Blyton's book series Malory Towers