| Pronunciation | /ˈdɒnə/ ; Italian: [ˈdɔnna] |
|---|---|
| Gender | Female |
| Origin | |
| Meaning | Lady |
| Region of origin | Italy |
Donna [1] is an English-language feminine first name meaning "woman" in modern Italian, and "lady" or "mistress" in classical Italian. [2] The original meaning is closer to "lady of the home" and was a title of respect in Italy, equivalent to Don [2] for gentlemen or lord. It is a common given name in the United States, particularly in Chicago, Florida, New York City, and Washington.[ citation needed ] It is rare as a surname.[ citation needed ]
Julia is a usually feminine given name. It is a Latinate feminine form of the name Julio and Julius. The given name Julia had been in use throughout Late Antiquity but became rare during the Middle Ages, and was revived only with the Italian Renaissance. It became common in the English-speaking world only in the 18th century. Today, it is frequently used throughout the world.
Betty or Bettie is a name, a common diminutive for the names Bethany and Elizabeth. In Latin America, it is also a common diminutive for the given name Beatriz, the Spanish and Portuguese form of the Latin name Beatrix and the English name Beatrice. In the 17th and 18th centuries, it was more often a diminutive of Bethia.
Carla is the feminized version of Carl, Carlos or Charles, from ceorl in Old English, which means "free man".
Michelle is a given name, originally a variant of Michèle, the French feminine form of Michel, derived from the Hebrew name Michael meaning "Who is like God?". The usual Latin feminine form of the name was Michaela, with Michael the vernacular form for both men and women. The name was given in reference to the archangel Michael, a saint of the Roman Catholic Church. The usual French feminine form of the name was Micheline. The name Michelle was rare until the 20th century. It became a popular name in France and later throughout the Anglosphere after 1930, popularized by French-born film actress Michèle Morgan, who was born Simone Roussel. The name was further popularized by the 1967 hit Beatles song Michelle, Ma Belle. The name peaked in usage for American girls in 1968, when it was among the five most popular names for newborn girls. The name has since declined in popularity but remains in regular use in English-speaking as well as French-speaking countries.
Renée is a French feminine given name and surname.
Patricia is a gender neutral given name of Latin origin. Derived from the Latin word patrician, meaning "noble"; it is the feminine form of the masculine given name Patrick. The name Patricia was the second most common female name in the United States according to the 1990 US Census. Another well-known variant of this is "Patrice".
Karen is a given name and occasional surname. In English, it is a feminine given name derived from the name Katherine, and it is also found in modern Africa, as well as in East Asia. However, in other countries such as Iran and Armenia, it is a masculine name deriving from Middle Iranian.
Alana, Alanna, Alannah, or Ilana is a female given name. It can be derived either from the Old High German word for "precious" or from the Irish language term "a leanbh" for "my child".
Violet is a female given name which comes from the eponymous flower. As with other such names, its popularity has varied dramatically over time. Flower names were commonly used from about 1880 through about 1910 in the United States, with usage dropping throughout the next 80 years or so; Violet was the 88th most frequent girls' given name in 1900, dropping below position 1000 by 1960. In 1990, the name appeared again in the top 1000 at position 289 and subsequently increased in popularity. It was the 20th most used name for newborn American girls in 2022. It rose rapidly in popularity for American girls born that year, one of several fashionable names that contain a letter v.
Jacqueline is a female given name.
Louise and Luise are, respectively, French and German feminine forms of the given name Louis. Louise has been regularly used as a female name in English speaking countries since the middle of the 19th century. It has ranked among the top 100 names given to girls in France, England, Ireland, Scotland, Sweden and Wales in recent years. It last ranked among the top 1,000 first names for girls born in the United States in 1991, but remains a more common middle name.
Rachel, meaning "ewe", is a feminine given name of Hebrew origin, popularized by the biblical figure Rachel, the wife of Israelite patriarch Jacob.
Élise, Elise, Elyse or Elize is the shortened feminine French form of Elizabeth, coming originally from the Hebrew name אלישבע and meaning "My God is an oath" or "My God is abundance".
Barbara is a given name used in numerous languages. It is the feminine form of the Greek word barbaros meaning "stranger" or "foreign". In Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox tradition, Saint Barbara was imprisoned in a tower by her father. She was then martyred by her father when she refused to renounce Christianity. According to legend, her father was then punished with death by lightning. As such, Saint Barbara is a protectress against fire and lightning. Early Christians occasionally referred to themselves as "barbarians" in opposition to the pagan Romans and Greeks. The story of Saint Barbara is said to have been an inspiration for the fairy tale Rapunzel and other European stories that feature a maiden in a tower.
Emily is a feminine given name derived from the Roman family name "Aemilius", and is the feminine form of the name Emil.
Shirley is a given name and a surname originating from the English place-name Shirley, which is derived from the Old English elements scire ("shire") or scīr and lēah. The name makes reference to the open space where the moot was held. The surname Shirley became established as a female given name in 1849 due to its use in Charlotte Brontë's novel Shirley, in which the character explains that her parents had intended the family surname for a son. It was further popularized in 1851–52 by its pseudonymous use by California Gold Rush writer Louise Amelia Knapp Smith Clappe. It was eventually brought to its highest popularity, in the 1930s, by the fame of child star Shirley Temple.
Stephanie is a female name that comes from the Greek name Στέφανος (Stephanos) meaning "crown, wreath, garland". The male form is Stephen. Forms of Stephanie in other languages include the German "Stefanie", the Italian, Czech, Polish, and Russian "Stefania", the Portuguese Estefânia, and the Spanish Estefanía. The form Stéphanie is from the French language, but Stephanie is now widely used both in English- and Spanish-speaking cultures.
Charlotte is a feminine given name, a female form of the male name Charles. It is of French or Italian origin, meaning "free man" or "petite". It dates back to at least the 14th century. Other variants of the name and related names include Charlie, Lottie, Lotte, Karlotta, Carlota, and Carlotta.
Laura is a traditionally feminine given name in Europe and the Americas, of Latin origin, whose meaning is a metonym for a victor, and an early hypocorism from Laurel and Lauren.
Una is a feminine given name with various origins. As used by Edmund Spenser in The Faerie Queene, the name is derived from the Latin unus, meaning one. This is also the meaning implied for the given name of Star Trek character Una Chin-Riley, commonly called Number One.