Name of the Week

A colourful place name, symbolised by a She-Wolf and Madonna,
made fashionable by a stylish actress.

 

Origin:

Siena is the name of an ancient and still flourishing city in Tuscany which was first settled by the Etruscans nearly 3000 years ago. The spelling Sienna is more commonly used as the name for colour, derived from the clay terra di Siena "earth of Siena," which was named for the city. In the Renaissance, the pigment was used to create oil paint, widely used by artists. Sienna was first used as a name for the colour in England in 1760.  The Roman name for Siena was Sena Julia (Seana Julia). Old local tradition has it that the city was founded, and named, sometime in the 4th century BC, by Brennus, the leader of the Senones, an ancient Celtic tribe of Gaul. Reference to this goes back as early as the 12th century in John of Salisbury, Bishop of Chartres (d.1180) correspondence. In one letter to Baldwin of Boulogne, archdeacon of Sudbury he says, "When we met at Siena, a city which Brennus, leader of the Senones, is said to have built as a settlement for his sick soldiers..."*  The fact that the Romans named the city Sena Julia ties in well with this theory, as the Senones capital in northern Italy was similarly named Sena Gallica. Sena then, was most likely a corruption of Senones.  Senones was the Roman name for the tribe, thought to derive from sen "old, ancient," perhaps as indication that they were one of the more established and ancient Gaulish tribes* i.e. "the ancient ones." Another theory, is that Siena was founded by Senius and Aschius, sons of Remus. When Romulus murdered Remus, the brothers fled Rome taking the famous statue of the Capitoline Wolf from the Temple of Apollo in Rome with them. Senius then gave his name to Siena.  However, as there are no records of this story prior to the 15th century, this appears to have been a Renaissance founding-myth, created by the Sienese themselves.* During this time, many Italian cities, such as Florence and Venice, were looking for good foundation stories which would link them (politically and civically) to the glory of the ancient Roman Republic and Siena wanted to get in on the act as well.  Their arch-rivals, the Florentines, were very scathing of Siena's foundation myth, and Florentine chronicler Giovanni Villani refuted it vociferously.* When native Sienese Pope Pius II was elected in 1458, even he weighed in on the issue.  Several statues depicting the She-Wolf nursing twins were erected all over the city and it became Siena's official symbol.  Siena was also dedicated to the Virgin Mary -- a devotion they took very seriously. To the Sienese, the Virgin was not only their patron, but also the ultimate ruler of the city and divine mediator.* So much so that allies demonstrated their loyalty to Siena by making offerings to the Virgin in the Cathedral. The Sienese took Marian art and festivals to new heights and through it they affirmed a strong spiritual and civic identity.* Pope Pius II famously canonised St Catherine of Siena (d.1380) in 1461. Such is her veneration that she is now counted as the patron saint of Italy, alongside St Francis of Assisi, and as one of the six patron saints of Europe. Another notable namesake is St Bernardino of Siena (d.1444), a Franciscan missionary who is now considered “the Apostle of Italy.”

Usage:

Siena/Sienna was adopted as a given name in the late 18th century in Europe. Some of the use may be due to a family connection to the city of Siena. It was not uncommon for children to be named after a foreign city if they were born there, or if there was a family connection -- as with Florence Nightingale (b.1820) and her sister. The tradition for the well-healed to embark on a 'Grand Tour' saw Tuscany as a popular destination. Other examples seem to have been inspired by Saint Catherine of Siena. There are several examples from Germany of girls with the given name "Katharina Von Siena" while a Bernardina de Siena Gregoria Gonzalez Cillero in Avila, Spain in 1809 most definitely looks to be named in honour of St Bernadino of Siena.  The earliest record I can find in Britain is a baptism of girl named Sienna Burne in Manchester in 1806. Though there is a baptism in 1799 for Elizabeth Siena Gordon on a British military base in South Africa.  Sien(n)a was, nevertheless, an uncommon name, given only a handful of times in the 19th century. It was still uncommon in the 20th century, but began to pick up to regular usage per year by the 1980s and increased gradually in the 1990s.  Births in England and Wales: 1950s: 1 birth 1960s: 2 births 1970s: 2 births -- one was actress Sienna Tiggy Guillory. 1980s: 24 births 1990s:    1991: 6 births    1993: 12 births    1995: 14 births click to enlarge In 1997, Sienna ranked #1126 with 17 births in England and Wales. It gradually rose over the proceeding years to #427 (82 births) in 2003.  Then came the change.  In 2004, Sienna jumped up to #155 with a birth count of 341 -- a more than 400% increase. The following year in 2005 it more than doubled again, hitting the top 100 at #70. It has been rising up the top 100 in England and Wales ever since and currently sits at #22. The reason for this rise by 2004 was all thanks to model-turned-actress Sienna Miller. As Vogue puts it: "After meeting Jude Law on the set of Alfie in 2003 Miller shot to fame and swiftly became a global style icon, epitomising boho chic alongside Kate Moss." In short, in 2003/4 you couldn't pick up a magazine in Britain without seeing pictures analysing everything Ms Miller wore, how she had her hair, and reading gossip about her relationship with Jude Law.  Other variations of the name such as Siena, Cienna and Sienna-Rose are also on an upward curve (see right).  When all the spellings are combined, Sienna was #20 in 2013.  In 2013, Sienna ranked #22 with 2211 births in England and Wales. It also ranked #53 (98 births) in Scotland and #38 (62 births) in Northern Ireland in 2014.

Famous Bearers:

History: * St Catherine of Siena (d.1380), co-patron saint of Italy and a patron saint of Europe. * St Bernardino of Siena (d.1444), Franciscan missionary who is now considered “the Apostle of Italy.” Contemporary: * Sienna Guillory (b.1975), British actress. * Sienna Miller (b.1981), British actress. Literature and other Media: * Sienna Blake, a character in Hollyoaks (2012-) portrayed by Anna Passey. * Sienna Cammeniti, a character in Neighbours (2008) portrayed by Erin McNaught.

Variants:

Siena, Cienna, Ciena

Pronunciation:

see-EN-ə  [key]

Possible  Diminutives:

Sisi, Senni

Sibling Names:

Isla     Eliza     Darcey     Esme      Lyla     Mila  Leo     Blake     Oscar    Dexter     Max     Roman

Name Lists:

N/A

 

If you like Sienna you may also like:   Savannah, Alba, Leila, Emilia, Aria, Keira, Sierra, Lena, Annabella, Scarlett

 

Thanks to Chantelle for requesting this post.