 Diana was the Roman goddess of the hunt. | |
| Gender | Female |
|---|---|
| Origin | |
| Word/name | mythological |
| Meaning | heavenly, divinity, deity, shine, bright light, like diamond |
| Other names | |
| Related names | Deanna, Diane, Dianna, Kiana, Dana |
Diana is a feminine given name of Latin and Greek origins, referring to the Roman goddess Diana. It came into use in the Anglosphere in the 1600s by classically educated parents as an English language version of the French version of the name, Diane. [1] [2] [3]
There are no traditional male variants of the name Diana [ citation needed ], although there are some names that share the same sound, such as:
Diana recalls the Greek and Roman goddess Diana. Diana translates to the Latin form Artemis. [5] [6] The name can be traced back to the Proto-Indo-European root *dyeu or *dyeus and *div- meaning "to shine" (diya-) or "sky", dius, deus and diwio, "deity, god, godlike" and [5] dium meaning Universe. [6] The meanings are therefore "heavenly", "holy", "divine", "demonic", "celestial", "cosmic", "nebulous", "chaotic", "abyssal", "void", "luminous", "shining", [5] and in a broader sense "which brings the day", "which has light", "which has divine power", "which belongs to the void/abyss/chaos" and "which comes from the Universe/outer space". The word “Diamond”, or “Diamante” in French, is also brought from the Proto-Indo-European word “diya-“, which means bright light.
Diana was already in use as a given name in ancient Rome, but exclusively outside Christian circles, in which it was seen as a pagan name. [5] In Italy, the variant "Daiana", an adaptation based on the English pronunciation, is also common. [4] The French variant "Diane" gained popularity during the 19th century. [3]
Alexandra is a female given name of Greek origin. It is the first attested form of its variants, including Alexander. Etymologically, the name is a compound of the Greek verb ἀλέξειν and ἀνήρ. Thus it may be roughly translated as "defender of man" or "protector of man". The name Alexandra was one of the epithets given to the Greek goddess Hera and as such is usually taken to mean "one who comes to save warriors". The earliest attested form of the name is the Mycenaean Greek 𐀀𐀩𐀏𐀭𐀅𐀨, written in the Linear B syllabic script. Alexandra and its masculine equivalent, Alexander, are both common names in Greece as well as countries where Germanic, Romance, and Slavic languages are spoken.
Maria is a feminine given name. It is given in many languages influenced by Christianity.
Nadia is a female name. Variations include Nadja, Nadya, Nadine, Nadiya, and Nadiia. Most variations of the name are derived from Arabic, Slavic languages, or both.
Victoria is a feminine first name. It is also used as a family name.
Olga is a female name of Slavic origins. It is the equivalent of Helga, and derived from the Old Norse adjective heilagr. The name was brought to Eastern Europe in the 9th century, by the Scandinavian settlers who founded Kievan Rus'.
Sarah is a common feminine given name of Hebrew origin. It derives its popularity from the biblical matriarch Sarah, the wife of Abraham and a major figure in the Abrahamic religions. It is a consistently popular given name across Europe, North America, and the Middle East — being commonly used as a female first name by Jews, Muslims, and Christians alike, and remaining popular also among non-religious members of cultures influenced by these religions.
Hannah spelled ', Hanna, Hana', Hanah, or Chana, is a feminine given name of Hebrew origin. It is derived from the root ḥ-n-n, meaning "favour" or "grace". A Dictionary of First Names attributes the name to a word meaning 'He (God) has favoured me with a child'. Anne, Ana, Ann, and other variants of the name derive from the Hellenized Hebrew: Anna (Ἅννα)
Monica is a female given name with many variant forms, including Mónica, Mônica, Monique (French), Monika, Moonika (Estonia), and Mónika (Hungarian).
Adriana, also spelled Adrianna, is a Latin name and feminine form of Adrian. It originates from present day Italy and Spain.
Irina or Iryna is a feminine given name of Ancient Greek origin, commonly borne by followers of the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is derived from Eirene, an ancient Greek goddess, personification of peace. It is mostly used in countries within the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Balkans.
Alina is a feminine given name with multiple origins in different cultures. It might be a form of Aline, which originated as a shortened form of Adeline, meaning noble. It has been used in Scotland as a feminine version of Alistair, the Scottish form of Alexander, and as an English version of the Scottish Gaelic álainn, meaning beautiful. In some instances, it might have Arabic origins. The name has also been well-used in German-speaking countries. It is sometimes regarded as a form of the name Helen, meaning to shine. Alina was one of the top 10 most popular names in Switzerland and one of the top 50 most popular names in Finland, Norway, Germany, Austria and Pakistan in 2020.
Anna is a feminine given name, the Latin form of the Greek: Ἄννα and the Hebrew name Hannah, meaning "favour" or "grace".
Emily is a feminine given name derived from the Roman family name "Aemilius", and is the feminine form of the name Emil.
Irene, sometimes written Irini, is derived from εἰρήνη, the Greek word for "peace". Eirene was the Greek goddess of peace. Irene was also the name of an 8th-century Byzantine empress, as well as the name of several saints.
Lara is a feminine given name or a surname in several languages. It can be used as a short form of the name Larissa. It was popularized in the Anglosphere by a character in the 1965 film Dr. Zhivago.
Nina is a feminine given name with various origins and alternate spellings accordingly. Nina may also serve as a short form of names ending in "-nina/-ina", such as Clementina, Christina, or Giannina. It serves as a diminutive of the variation of nevertheless original form of Hebrew name, “Johannah”, or “Joanina”.
Vera is a female given name of Slavic origin, and by folk etymology it has also been explained as Latin vera meaning "true". In Slavic languages, Vera means faith. The name Vera has been used in the English speaking world since the 19th century and was popular in the early 20th century. In Turkish Vera means piety.
Claudia is a female given name equivalent to Claudius or Claudio. In Portuguese, it is accented Cláudia. A variant and cognate form is Klaudia. It was originally used to refer to any woman who belonged to the ancient Roman Claudia gens. Claudia is a common name in countries that speak Germanic languages and Romance languages.
Veronica is a female given name, a Latin alteration of the Greek name Berenice (Βερενίκη), which in turn is derived from the Macedonian form of the Athenian Φερενίκη, Phereníkē, or Φερονίκη, Pheroníkē, from φέρειν, phérein, to bring, and νίκη, níkê, "victory", i.e. "she who brings victory".
Ana is a version of the female given name Anna meaning "favour" or "grace".
