Diana (name)

Diana
Diana was the Roman goddess of the hunt.
GenderFemale
Origin
Word/namemythological
Meaningheavenly, divinity, deity, shine, bright light, like diamond
Other names
Related namesDeanna, Diane, Dianna, Kiana, Dana

Diana is a feminine given name of Latin and Greek origins, referring to the Roman goddess Diana, goddess of the hunt and the moon.[1][2]

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.[3][4][5]

Variants

Female

Male

There are no traditional male variants of the name Diana [citation needed], although there are some names that share the same sound, such as:

  • Dion
  • Dean
  • Dylan
  • Dana
  • Dian
  • Deric
  • Derwin
  • Dain

Unisex

In other languages

Origin and diffusion

Diana recalls the Greek and Roman goddess Diana. Diana translates to the Latin form Artemis.[7][8] 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 [7] dium meaning Universe.[8] The meanings are therefore "heavenly", "holy", "divine", "demonic", "celestial", "cosmic", "nebulous", "chaotic", "abyssal", "void", "luminous", "shining",[7] 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.[7] In Italy, the variant "Daiana", an adaptation based on the English pronunciation, is also common.[6] The French variant "Diane" gained popularity during the 19th century.[5]

People

Fictional characters

See also

References

  1. ^ "Uz ova imena dostojna princeza dijete neće trebati nadimak". www.index.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  2. ^ Čilaš Šimpraga, Ivšić Majić and Vidović. Rječnik 500 najčešćih suvremenih hrvatskih osobnih imena (in Croatian). Institut za hrvatski jezik i jezikoslovlje. p. 20.
  3. ^ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006). Oxford Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. p. 76. ISBN 0-19-861060-2.
  4. ^ a b c d e Crusca 1830, p. 627.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Llewellyn 2011, p. 172.
  6. ^ a b Galgani 2005, p. 215.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Galgani 2005, p. 223.
  8. ^ a b c Albaigès 1993, p. 88.

Bibliography

  • Accademia della Crusca (1830). Dizionario della lingua italiana – Volume VII. Padua: Tipografia della Minerva.
  • Albaigès i Olivart, Josep M. (1993). Diccionario de nombres de personas. Edicions Universitat Barcelona. ISBN 84-475-0264-3.
  • Galgani, Fabio (2005). Onomastica Maremmana. Centro Studi Storici "A. Gabrielli".
  • Sheard, K. M. (2011). Llewellyn's Complete Book of Names. Llewellyn Publications. ISBN 978-0-7387-2368-6.