Eunice

Meaning of Eunice

Eunice traces her lineage to the Greek Εὐνίκη, a compound of eu, “good,” and nikē, “victory,”—a tidy etymology that reads like a congratulatory telegram. The name migrated into English through the New Testament, where Eunice appears as the pragmatic, clear-eyed mother of Saint Timothy; scripture gives her just a few lines, yet those lines have propped up Sunday-school lessons on steadfast parenting for centuries. In the United States, Eunice enjoyed a golden run from the 1880s into the Jazz Age, briefly cracking the Top-150 before settling into the lower half of the charts; recent SSA data show roughly 100 girls a year still receiving the name, suggesting a quiet but stubborn endurance rather than a comeback tour. Modern associations range from oceanographer Eunice Foote, who pre-figured climate science, to Eunice Kennedy Shriver, founder of the Special Olympics—figures who underscore the name’s understated blend of intellect and resolve. In short, Eunice offers parents a vintage badge reading “good victory,” worn with unflashy confidence.