 Orsino and Viola in a scene from William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night by Frederick Richard Pickersgill. | |
| Pronunciation | /ˈvaɪələ/ VY-ə-lə, /ˈvaɪoʊlə/ VY-oh-lə |
|---|---|
| Gender | Female |
| Origin | |
| Word/name | Latin |
| Meaning | "violet" |
| Other names | |
| Related names | Violet |
Viola is a feminine given name derived from the Latin viola , given in reference to the flowering plant species. The name is in common use in Italy. It is best known in the Anglosphere as a character in William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night . [1]
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.
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.
Twelfth Night, or What You Will is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare that is believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola and Sebastian, who are separated in a shipwreck. Viola falls in love with the Duke Orsino, who in turn is in love with Countess Olivia. Upon meeting Viola, Countess Olivia falls in love with her thinking she is a man.
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.
Margaret is a feminine given name, meaning "pearl". It is of Latin origin, via Ancient Greek and ultimately from Old Iranian. It has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular throughout the Middle Ages. It became less popular between the 16th and 18th century, but became more common again after this period, becoming the second-most popular female name in the United States in 1903. Since this time, it has become less common, but was still the ninth-most common name for women of all ages in the United States as of the 1990 census.
Agnes is a feminine given name derived from the Greek Ἁγνή Hagnḗ, meaning 'pure' or 'holy'. The name passed to Italian as Agnese, to French as Agnès, to Portuguese as Inês, and to Spanish as Inés. It is also written as Agness. The name is descended from the Proto-Indo-European *h₁yaǵ-, meaning 'to sacrifice; to worship,' from which is also the Vedic term yajña. It is mostly used in Greece and countries that speak Germanic languages.
Cesario is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include:
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.
Sebastian is both a given name and a surname. It comes from the Greek name Sebastianos (Σεβαστιανός) meaning "from Sebastia" (Σεβάστεια), which was the name of the city now known as Sivas, located in the central portion of what is now Turkey; in Western Europe the name comes through the Latinized intermediary Sebastianus. It was a name of ancient Greek origin, given to children not born free and found on the streets of Sebastia. The name of the city is derived from the Greek word σεβαστός (sebastos), "venerable", which comes from σέβας (sebas), "awe, reverence, dread", in turn from the verb σέβομαι (sebomai), "feel awe, scruple, be ashamed". Sebastos was the Greek calque of the title Augustus, which was used for Roman emperors. Sebastian became a widely used name because it was the name of Saint Sebastian, a third-century Christian martyr.
Alice is a feminine first name with roots in the French and German languages.
Gladys is a female name from the Welsh name Gwladus or Gwladys, which is of uncertain meaning. It was the name of Gwladys, a Welsh royal queen who lived in the late 5th century and early 6th century and became a Christian saint. The name was also used for other Welsh nobles, but declined in use in Wales after 1500.
Grace is a female given name from the Latin gratia. It is often given in reference to the Christian concept of divine grace and used as a virtue name.
Miranda is a feminine given name of Latin origin, meaning "worthy of admiration". William Shakespeare invented the name for a character in his play The Tempest, deriving the feminine name from the Latin word mirandus. 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 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.
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.
Sylvia is a feminine given name of Latin origin, also spelled Silvia. The French form is Sylvie. The name originates from the Latin word for forest Silva and its meaning is spirit of the wood. The mythological god of the forest was associated with the figure of Silvanus.
Ellen is a female given name, a diminutive of Elizabeth, Eleanor, Elena, and Helen. Ellen was the 609th most popular name in the U.S. and the 17th in Sweden in 2004.
Naomi or Noemi is a given name of either biblical Hebrew or Japanese origin, used in various languages and cultures.
Stella is a female given name. It is derived from the Latin word for star. It has been in use in English-speaking countries since it was first used by Philip Sidney in Astrophel and Stella, his 1580s sonnet sequence. Use might also have increased due to Stella Maris as a title for the Virgin Mary by Catholics. Alternately, it is a feminine version of the Greek name Stylianos, meaning pillar.
Caroline is a feminine given name, derived from the male Charles. Common nicknames and variations include Callie, Carol, Carole, Carolina, Carolyn, Carly, Carrie, and Caz.
Olivia is a feminine given name in the English language. It is derived from Latin oliva, olive. Both Oliva and Olivia were Latinate forms in use in English-speaking countries as early as the 13th century. Olive was in common use as a vernacular form. Though not invented by William Shakespeare, the name was popularized by a character in the Twelfth Night.
