Girls' Baby Names Derived from Latin
Female Given Names Based on Roman Names and Adjectives
Jun 2, 2009
Modern parents can usually name baby girls whatever they like. In other cultures, such as that of ancient Rome, parents had to navigate a much more complicated system of given names, family names, and nicknames.
But many girls' baby names in English originally come from Latin, so it is important to know what they mean. Some have remained the same for two thousand years. Other names have changed, while still remaining recognizable. Here are a few of the most common Latin-based girls' baby names.
Latin Girls' Baby Names Based on Adjectives
Many Latin descriptive words form the basis for female names in English. Among these are:
- Amanda: this means "worthy to be loved." The name Amy also comes from the same verb, amare ("to love").
- Barbara: this name means "foreign" or "wild." It comes, via Latin, from the same Greek word as "barbarian."
- Beatrice or Beatrix: both these names come from beatum, or "blessing" or "happiness." Beatrix means "she who brings happiness."
- Clara: in Latin, clara literally means "shining" or "bright."
- Bella: this means "beautiful woman," and is also the source for the variant Belle.
- Felicia or Felicity: Like Beatrix, these come from a Latin word for "happiness," in this case felicitas.
- Marcia: this name means related to Mars, the Roman god of war.
- Miranda: this name means "worthy of admiration," and was popularized in English by Shakespeare when he gave it to Prospero's daughter in The Tempest.
- Serena: literally, this means "calm" or "serene."
- Virginia: "Maidenly," from virgo, the Latin word for virgin.
Female Names From Latin Proper Nouns
Some girls' baby names derived from Latin are based on desirable attributes, beautiful things, or high-born Roman family names. They include:
- Angela: meaning "angel," this is the Latin version of the Greek word for "messenger."
- Diana: this is the name of the Roman goddess of hunting, chastity, and the moon.
- Carmen: Latin for "song."
- Stella: in Latin, stella means "star," and is also the source of names such as Estella and Estelle.
- Gloria: this is the Latin word for "glory." Gratia, meaning "favor," is the source of the English name Grace.
- Julia: this name originally indicated a relationship with the Julii, the family of Julius Caesar. Likewise, the name June indicated kinship with the Junii, the equally-aristocratic family of Caesar's most famous assassin, Marcus Junius Brutus. (The month, however, is named for the goddess Juno.)
- Laura: this name is Latin for "laurel." Girls' names that come from Latin words for plants and flowers are quite common in English, including Rose (from rosa, "rose"), Silvia (from silva, "forest"), and Viola ("violet").
- Lucy: this name comes from Lucia, which in turn comes from lux, or "light."
- Regina: this means "queen" in Latin, the female equivalent of rex, "king." Similarly, Victoria's male equivalent is Victor, or "conqueror."
Less Common Latin-Based Girls' Baby Names
Some girls' baby names from Latin are no longer popular, or are otherwise unusual. They are:
- Alma: This name means "cherishing," or "nourishing." It's best known nowadays in the figurative phrase Alma Mater ("nourishing mother"), referring to one's school.
- Aurelia: from aurum ("gold"), Aurelia means "golden." Aurelius, the male version, was also common in antiquity, as in the name of the Philosopher-Emperor Marcus Aurelius.
- Constance: this comes from constans, the Latin for "firm" or "trustworthy."
- Flora: meaning "flower," Flora is also recognizable in the expression flora and fauna, referring to plants and animals of a specific place.
- Norma: this means "form" or "guide"; the male equivalent is Norman.
- Ursula: literally, this is "little she-bear."
The Benefit of Knowing Latin Sources of Girls' Baby Names
Many would be surprised how many girls' names in English come from Latin nouns, adjectives, and even well-born Roman families. Understanding these Latin sources can help parents pick the right name for a new baby – and avoid ones whose meanings they don't like.
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