Meaning: Its source is an English expression meaning "Love and protection of God, unmerited favor."

Nickname For: Grace

Alternative Spellings: Gracy

Popularity: The name Gracie ranked 169th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 638th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

Though this name has fluctuated in use, it has been quietly present throughout the last century.

Narrative: This name denotes both divine favor and physical elegance. The Three Graces of ancient Greek mythology (Aglaia, Euphrosyne and Thalia) embodied the connection between seen and unseen beauty.

Christians adopted the name (originally in its Latin form, Gratia) because they felt it expressed a specifically Christian idea of one's relationship to God. Seventeenth-century Puritans introduced the English version of the name with this in mind.

American actress Grace Kelly (1929-1982) gave a more secular and contemporary boost to the name, especially after she married into Monaco's ruling family and became Princess Grace in 1956.