Name of the Week

An elaborate and saintly medieval Spanish gem 
with ties to Greek mythology.

 

Origin:

Leocadia is most likely a later variant form of Leucadia, the Latinised form of the Greek Leukadia, derived from leukas "light, bright, clear."  The masculine equivalent, Leukadios/Leucadius is found in Greek mythology as the name of the son of Icarius and Polycarpe, and brother to Penelope, who was the co-ruler of Acarnania. It is thought that the Greek island of Leucas (Leukas, Leucadia, Lefkada) derived its name from him.  The island was known for its temple dedicated to Apollo, where he was given the epithet Apollo Leucadius or Apollo Leucates ("Apollo of Leucas"). The Latin Leucadius, therefore, was likely more commonly used as a topographical name meaning "of Leucas," rather than a form of Leukadios.

Usage:

Leokadia and Leokadios can be found in classical and hellenistic records, though examples are rare. The LGPN only has record of one woman named Leukadia and two men named Leukadios. Leocadia itself was made famous by Saint Leocadia of Toledo (d. c. 303), a Spanish virgin martyr who was said to have herself been inspired by the legendary martyrdom of Saint Eulalia. A church was dedicated to her from an early time; records from the 7th century say that it was already established by that date. In the 9th century, her remains were moved to Oviedo, and in the 11th century were taken to Belgium. In 1586 they were sent to Rome, and finally returned to Toledo the following year, in a grand ceremony presided over by King Philip II of Spain.  Leocadia was in use in Spain from at least the 16th century in Spain and also in the Spain colonies, particularly Mexico and Peru. Occasionally, Leocadio was used, but not as commonly. By the 18th century Leocadia was in use across Europe, particularly in Germany and Belgium, and in Canada.  A small group of Leocadias were baptised in Durham in the 18th century to migrant Spanish families but other examples in Britain are hard to find before the 19th century. From 1838 to 1920, 8 girls were registered with the name Leocadia in England and Wales, and 6 with the French form Léocadie.  Since then, Leocadia has only been given to 6 girls in England and Wales, and only two of those were given it as a first name.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Saint Leocadia, (d. c. 303) a Spanish martyr, persecuted under the reign of Diocletian. Her feast day is 9th December.  * Léocadie Gascoin (1818–1900), co-founder and superior of the Sisters Marianites of Holy Cross. Literature and Media: * Leocadia, a character in Cerventes' (1547–1616) novel La Fuerza de la sangre; The Power of Blood. * La Leocadia, a mural by the Spanish artist Francisco Goya. * Léocadia (1940), a theatrical play by Jean Anouilh.  Other: * 969 Leocadia, a minor planet orbiting the Sun.

Variants:

Liocadia (Spanish variant), Léocadie, Locaie (French), Leokadia (German, Polish), Leocádia (Portuguese) Leocardia

Pronunciation:

lee-ō-KAY-dee-ə, lee-ō-KAD-ee-ə [key]

Possible  diminutives:

Cade, Cadi, Cayla, Cleo, Kay, Lea, Leo, Lia, Lady, Lola

Sibling Names:

Apollonia     Constantia     Valentina     Artemisia     Carissima     Iphigenia  Barnabas     Nicodemus      Silvester     Regulus     Nicander     Maximian

Name Lists:

Saintly and Stylish   Resonant Roman   Multi-syllabic

 

If you like Leocadia you may also like:  Theodosia, Athanasia, Eulalia, Asteria, Euphrasia, Amadea, Iphigenia, Adrasteia, Cassiopeia, Araminta

 

Thanks to Thora for requesting this post.