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Hope Name Meaning: Origin, Popularity & Nicknames

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Learn about the name Hope including the meaning, gender, origin, popularity, and more.

Hope Overview

  • Meaning: “Anticipating good things”
  • Gender: Female
  • Origin: English
  • Pronunciation: “hohp”
  • Popularity: Popular
  • Nicknames: Happy, Hops
  • Variations: Esperanza, Nozomi
  • Namesakes: Hope Andrade, Hope Emerson, Hope Parlow

What Does the Name Hope Mean?

Hope means wishing for something to happen (1). In older texts, hope also meant trusting that something would happen.

Due to this archaic secondary definition, some languages have Hope and waiting expectantly as the same word.

What is the Origin of the Name Hope?

Hope is a word of English origin. It comes from the Middle English word “hopian,” which has Germanic roots in the word “hoffen.”

Hope has existed with its modern definition since the 12th century in England, though its pronunciation has changed since then.

How Popular is the Name Hope?

Hope has been consistently at least fairly popular since the late 1800s. Since the 1960s, the name has been even more popular. However, it has never made the top 100 names in the US.

How Do I Pronounce Hope?

Hope is pronounced, “hohp.” The word is one syllable name, and the “e” at the end is silent.

Is Hope a Boy or Girl Name?

Hope is generally a female name. While you can name your son Hope, doing so is not very common.

Variations of Hope

Hope is a name with lots of variations. Many countries that speak other languages want to name their daughters after the idea of a bright future. Some of the other variations include:

  • Amal (Arabic)
  • Dóchas (Irish)
  • Elpizo (Greek)
  • Esperanza (Spanish)
  • Espoir (French)
  • Nozomi (Japanese)
  • Speranza (Italian)
  • Matumaini (Swahili)

Nicknames for Hope

Here are some of the best nicknames for Hope:

  • Happy
  • Hop
  • Hopey
  • Hoppy
  • Hops
  • Oppey

Similar Names to Hope

If you’re interested in names with a similar meaning or sound to Hope, consider the following list of names:

  • Blessing
  • Cherish
  • Ember
  • Faith
  • Faye
  • Halo
  • Holly
  • Honesty
  • Melody
  • Mercy
  • Opal
  • Oracle
  • Patience
  • River
  • Summer
  • Temperance

Middle Names for Hope

If you decide to name your child Hope, consider some of the following middle names:

  • Ashlynn
  • Avalon
  • Bethany
  • Charlotte
  • Destiny
  • Eloquence
  • Emily
  • Evalynn
  • Fiona
  • Gianna
  • Juliet
  • Karina
  • Liberty
  • MacKinzey
  • Melody
  • Neveah
  • Ophelia
  • Peyton
  • Sierra
  • Trinity

Sibling Names for Hope

When naming your child, it’s important to consider the names of any other children.

For a brother, consider the following:

  • Arrow
  • Bay
  • Brave
  • Colt
  • Dodge
  • Flint
  • Hunter
  • Noble
  • River
  • Shelter

For a sister, consider the following:

Famous People Named Hope

Hope has been a popular name for a long time, and a lot of famous women have the name Hope. Some of the most important are:

  • Hope Anderson: is an American beauty queen who won Miss Louisianna.
  • Hope Dworaczyk: is an American model. She was on “Project Runway” and was a contestant on “Celebrity Apprentice.”.
  • Esperanza “Hope” Andrade: is an American politican. For a time, she was the Texas Secretary of State.
  • Hope Davis: an American actress who played in “American Splendor” and “About Schmidt.” Davis also acted in several Broadway musicals, including “God of Carnage.”
  • Hope Edelman: an American author. Edelman writes essays and non-fiction books. Her most famous works are on the relationships between mothers and their children.
  • Hope Emerson: an American actress who took roles on Broadway and the Silver Screen. Some of the most important works she was in include “It’s a Great Life,” “Westward the Woman,” and “Lysistrata.”
  • Hope Goddard Iselin: an American sportsman. Iselin was the first woman to participate in America’s Cup yacht race.
  • Hope Hicks: an American HR executive. Hicks worked for former president Donald Trump. At the time, she was also the chief correspondence officer between the President and Fox News.
  • Hope Holiday: an American actress who starred on Broadway and on film. Some of the works that Holiday played in include: “Guys and Dolls,” “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” and “The Apartment.”
  • Hope Munro: an Australian hockey player. Munro played for the National Team in the Beijing and London Summer Olympics.
  • Hope Larson: an American artist. Larson’s works focused on cartoons and graphic novels. Some of Larson’s works are “Batgirl” and an adaptation of “A Wrinkle in Time.”
  • Hope Loring: an English writer who wrote many famous films. Some of her most popular works are “This is Heaven,” “Paid Back,” and “The Lure of the Circus.”
  • Hope Olson: a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She teaches in the School of Information Studies and is famous for her writings on feminism and classification systems.
  • Hope Partlow: an American Pop singer from Tenessee. Some of her most popular songs are “Slow Down,” “Who We Are,” and “Sick Inside.”
  • Hope Powell: an English soccer coach. Before she became a coach, Powell was a soccer player with England’s national team.
  • Hope Sabanpan-Yu: a Philippian author who primarily writes poems and short stories.
  • Hope Sandoval: an American singer who sang “The Spoils,” “Paradice Circus,” and “Heligoland.”
  • Hope Solo: a former American soccer player and goalie. Solo plaid for the US national team for the World Cup.

Hope in Popular Culture

Hope is also a name that modern fiction regularly uses. Some of the best pop culture characters with the name Hope are:

  • Hope Bennett: a character from “Walking Dead: World Beyond.” She is one of the main characters and is rebellious and irresponsible but manages to keep cheery even with the zombie apocalypse.
  • Hope Brady: a character on “Days of Our Lives.” She is a cop who worked her way up to leadership.
  • Hope Estheim: a male protagonist in the “Final Fantasy” game series. He’s one of the only males on our list of popular characters!
  • Hope Jones: a character on the show “Once Upon a Time.” Jones is the granddaughter of Prince Charming and Cinderella.
  • Hope Logan: a character from the soap opera “The Bold and the Beautiful.” Logan was a conservative and traditional woman.
  • Hope Summers: a mutant in the comic series “X-Men.” Summers had the power to copy the power of other mutants.
  • Hope Wilson: a character from “The Young and the Restless.” She was the romantic interest of Victor Newman.
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