ChristianNames.org Saved

Name at a glance

Constance

Constance is a name meaning steadfastness, perseverance, or constancy.

Ranked #1501 in the 2025 SSA records, peaked at #83 in 1949, stable over the past 5 years.

Constance names the virtue of steadfastness that Roman Stoic ethics handed forward into early Christian discipline, perseverance under trial and consistency of faith.

Browse names
OriginEnglish from Old French and Latin
GenderGirl
FeelVirtue
PronunciationKON-stens

Meaning

The meaning of Constance

Constance comes through Old French from Latin constantia, the noun form of the verb constare meaning to stand firm. The Latin word names steadfastness, consistency, and perseverance. Roman Stoic ethics treated constantia as one of the central virtues, the firmness of character that holds steady under shifting circumstances. Early Christian writers appropriated the term to name the Christian virtue of perseverance in faith and discipleship under trial.

Virtue name

Why Constance became a Christian name

Constance names a virtue that ran from Roman Stoic ethics directly into early Christian moral teaching: the steadfastness that holds faith and conduct consistent across shifting circumstances. The early Christian Latin writers appropriated constantia from the philosophical tradition and gave it a specifically Christian content: perseverance in faith under trial.

The name has been carried in Christian naming since the fourth century through Constantine the Great's daughter Constantina and her sister Constantia. It traveled into medieval English naming with the Norman conquest and has been preserved in Catholic and Anglican families ever since.

Sound

How to pronounce Constance

Phonetic
KON-stens
IPA
/ˈkɒnstəns/

2 syllables · stress: KON-stens · ends in a consonant

Forms

Variants and nicknames

Alternate spellings

  • Constanze
  • Konstanze

Short forms and nicknames

  • Connie
  • Coco
  • Stan

Languages

Constance in other languages

Latin
ConstantiaConstantia is the Latin source word and the form used for several early Christian saints, including Constantine the Great's daughter.
Italian
Costanza
Spanish
Constanza
German
Konstanze

Christian background

Christian and biblical background

Constance carries a substantial Christian heritage running through the Roman imperial period (Constantine the Great's daughter was Constantina), the medieval Catholic tradition (the Council of Constance in 1414 to 1418 settled the Western Schism), and Anglican and Catholic naming traditions in the modern period. The virtue itself is named throughout the New Testament epistles, particularly in 1 Corinthians 15:58 where Paul names being steadfast and unmoveable as the proper Christian disposition.

Bearers

Notable people named Constance

  • historical

    Saint Constantia of RomeFourth-century Christian woman, daughter of Constantine the Great; her tomb in Rome at Sant'Agnese fuori le mura became one of the major early Christian pilgrimage sites

  • historical

    Constance of SicilyTwelfth-century Norman queen who married Henry VI and became the mother of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, 1154 to 1198

  • historical

    Constance GarnettBritish translator whose late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-century English versions of Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and Chekhov shaped how the English-speaking world reads Russian literature, 1861 to 1946

Naming history

Naming tradition and history

Constance has been used in English Christian naming since the medieval period, traveling with the Norman conquest from French Constance. The name held a US Top 100 position through the mid-twentieth century, peaking at #83 in 1949 during the postwar mainline Protestant naming era. It has receded steadily since and currently sits at #1501 in the 2025 SSA data, more common now in traditional Catholic and Anglican families than in broader American naming.

Recent US use

Constance in recent US use

Rank in 2025
#1501
Peak rank
#83 in 1949
Recent trend
stable over the last 5 years
Years in the SSA records
146 (since 1880)

Source: US Social Security Administration baby name data, 1880-2025.

Sibling fit

Sibling name suggestions

Phonetic neighbours

Names that sound similar to Constance

  • Patience · Both Constance and Patience are two-syllable Latin-derived English virtue names with similar consonant-led endings.

For families

For families looking at Constance

For a Christian family, Constance names the virtue of steadfastness in faith. The name is rare in modern American use (#1501 in 2025) but carries deep recognition from medieval and modern Catholic and Anglican naming traditions.

Common questions

What does Constance mean?

Constance means steadfastness, perseverance, or consistency. The English name comes from Latin constantia.

Is Constance a biblical name?

Constance is not the name of a biblical person, but the virtue of steadfastness runs throughout the New Testament epistles, most notably 1 Corinthians 15:58.

Is Constance a Christian name?

Yes. Constance is a classic Christian name with roots in early Christian Roman tradition and steady use through medieval and modern Catholic and Anglican naming.

How popular is the name Constance?

Constance ranked #1501 in US baby names in 2025, outside the SSA Top 1000 but with stable presence in traditional Catholic and Anglican families.

Read next

Related names

FaithBoth are English virtue names anchored in Christian Scripture and the Puritan tradition; Constance and Faith both name aspects of steadfast belief.HopeBoth are English virtue names from the same Christian tradition; Romans 5:3 to 4 names patience and constancy as the bridge between tribulation and hope.PatienceBoth name aspects of steadfast endurance; Patience and Constance are paired in the Latin Christian virtue tradition as patientia and constantia.PrudenceBoth are Latin-derived English virtue names from the cardinal-virtue tradition of Christian moral theology.FelicityBoth are Latin-derived English names from the Roman Christian tradition; Constance and Felicity are paired in the classical virtue-name register.AugustineAugustine's De civitate Dei treats constantia at length as one of the central Christian virtues; the name Constance carries his theological inheritance.