Pronunciation | /ˈɜːrsjʊlə/ German: [ˈʊʁzula] |
---|---|
Gender | Feminine |
Language(s) | German, English |
Origin | |
Language(s) | Latin |
Word/name | ursa |
Meaning | "little bear" |
Other names | |
Variant form(s) | Uschi, Usch, Urs |
Ursula is a feminine given name in several languages. The name is derived from a diminutive of the Latin ursa, which means "bear". The name was best used in the Anglosphere in the 16th century but has since been rather uncommon in English-speaking countries, although its use has been influenced since the twentieth century by the Swiss-born actress Ursula Andress (born 1936). [1] It was among the most popular names for newborn girls in Germany from the 1920s to the 1950s. [2] Ulla, Ursel, and Uschi are German short forms of the name.
Ursula is a villain in the 1989 Disney animated film The Little Mermaid and its 2023 live-action remake The Little Mermaid . [3] [4]
Other forms of the name include:
Chloe, also spelled Chloë, Chlöe, or Chloé, is a feminine name meaning "blooming" or "fertility" in Greek. The name ultimately derives, through Greek, from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵʰelh₃-, which relates to the colors yellow and green. The common scientific prefix chloro- derives from the same Greek root. In Greek the word refers to the young, green foliage or shoots of plants in spring.
Beatrice is a female given name. The English variant is derived from the French Béatrice, which came from the Latin Beatrix, which means "blessed one".
Vanessa is a feminine given name.
Lucy is an English feminine given name derived from the Latin masculine given name Lucius with the meaning as of light. Alternative spellings are Luci, Luce, Lucie, Lucia, and Luzia.
Natasha is a name of Russian origin. It is the diminutive form of the Latin name Natalia, which means "born on Christmas Day".
'Isabel' is a female name of Spanish origin. Isabelle is a name that is similar, but it is of French origin. It originates as the medieval Spanish form of Elisabeth. Arising in the 12th century, it became popular in England in the 13th century following the marriage of Isabella of Angoulême to the king of England. Today it is sometimes abbreviated to Isa.
Ingrid is a feminine given name. It continues the Old Norse name Ingiríðr, which was a short form of Ingfríðr, composed of the theonym Ing and the element fríðr "beloved; beautiful" common in Germanic feminine given names. The name Ingrid remains widely given in all of Scandinavia, with the highest frequency in Norway. Norwegian usage peaked in the interbellum period, with more than 2% of newborn girls so named in 1920; popularity declined gradually over the 1930s to 1960s, but picked up again in the late 1970s, peaking above 1.5% in the 1990s. Ingrid was also among the most popular names for girls in Germany from the 1920s to the 1950s.
Ursula is a fictional character and the main antagonist who appears in Walt Disney Pictures' animated film The Little Mermaid (1989). Voiced by actress Pat Carroll, Ursula is a villainous Cecaelian sea witch who offers her youngest niece, mermaid princess Ariel, a temporary opportunity to become human so that she may earn the love of Prince Eric within three days. However, Ursula, in fact, is determined to sabotage Ariel's chances in order to usurp her older brother King Triton's position as ruler of the oceans.
Eva is a female given name, the Latinate counterpart of English Eve, which is derived from the Hebrew חַוָּה (Chava/Hava), meaning "life" or "living one", the name of the first woman according to the Hebrew Bible. It can also mean full of life or mother of life. It is the standard biblical form of Eve in many European languages. Evita is a diminutive form, in Spanish.
Sebastian or Sebastián is both a given name and a surname.
Sophia, also spelled Sofia, is a feminine given name, from Greek Σοφία, Sophía, "Wisdom". Other forms include Sophie, Sophy, and Sofie. The given name is first recorded in the beginning of the 4th century. It is a common female name in the Eastern Orthodox countries. It became very popular in the West beginning in the later 1990s and became one of the most popularly given girls' names in the Western world in the first decades of the 21st century.
Alice is a feminine first name with roots in the French and German languages.
Angela is a female given name. It is derived from the Greek word ángelos (ἄγγελος), meaning angel from Greek belief systems. In the United States, the name "Angela" was at its most popular between 1965 and 1979, when it was ranked among the top 10 names for girls. Between 1922 and 2021, in the United States, the name was ranked in the top 35 names for girls.
Miranda is a feminine given name of Latin origin, meaning "worthy of admiration", deriving the feminine name from the Latin word mirandus. Although it existed as a surname prior, held by, for example, Giovanni Miranda and Juan Carreño de Miranda, William Shakespeare originated use of the name as a forename for a character in his play The Tempest. In the play, the character is addressed as “Admired Miranda! Indeed the top of admiration! Worth what’s dearest to the world!” People named their daughters after the Shakespearean character beginning in the 1700s. The moon of Uranus, Miranda, was also named after Miranda from the play. The name was more popular in the United States than elsewhere in the Anglosphere, possibly due to its similarity in sound to Amanda, a name also more common for American girls by the 1800s. The name declined in use after 1900 but was revived in the United Kingdom due to the popularity of the 1948 British fantasy film Miranda about a mermaid named Miranda. The name also increased in usage in the United States when the film began airing on television there in the 1950s. Other media influences also increased usage of the name through the early 2000s. The name has recently declined in usage in the United States due to negative associations with the satirical character Miranda Sings.
Elizabeth is a feminine given name, a variation of the Hebrew name Elisheva (אֱלִישֶׁבַע), meaning "My God is an oath" or "My God is abundance", as rendered in the Septuagint.
Madeleine, or Madeline has biblical origins. The name Magdalena is derived from the Aramaic term "Magdala" (מגדלא), meaning "tower" or "elevated, great." It refers to the town of Magdala on the Sea of Galilee, traditionally identified as the hometown of Mary Magdalene, a prominent figure in the New Testament who was a follower of Jesus. Therefore, Magdalena can be interpreted as "woman from Magdala."
Maud or Maude, is an Old German name meaning "powerful battler". It is a variant of the given name Matilda but is uncommon as a surname. The Welsh variant of this name is Mawd.
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, Chara, Karlotta, Carlota, and Carlotta.
Dorothea, also spelt Dorothee (German), Dorothée (French), and Dorotea, is a female given name from Greek Δωροθέα (Dōrothéa) meaning "god's gift". In English it is more commonly spelt Dorothy.
Sibylle is a given name. It may refer to: