British Baby Names

Name of the Week: Monica

 

 

Origin:

Monica is a name that came into use thanks to St. Monica (322-387), the mother of St. Augustine, who is renowned for her virtue and piety.  The origins of her name are obscure. On the surface, Monica looks to derive from the Greek monos  "one," and the suffix -ikos "of, pertaining to." Tradition has it that St. Monica came from the city of Tagaste in Numidia (present-day Algeria) however, so it is almost certain that her name was actually Numidian in origin and then Hellenised as Monika. The Greeks liked to Hellenise names so that they made sense in their own language (see Zenobia), so it is likely that this Greek meaning was only a later association. In the Middle Ages, the name was also connected with the Latin moneo "advisor." St Monica was not only the woman of her time to bear the name. The wife of Nubel, prince of Mauritania, was also Named Nonicca/Monicca, and a contemporary. Modern scholars argue that Monicca was a diminutive of Monna, the name of a local deity whose cult is found on inscriptions in modern day Tunisia.**

Usage:

The cult of St. Monica was well established by the 15th century (having taken hold initially in the 13th century) when her relics were rehoused in a new church at Rome in honour of St. Augustine. It is little wonder, then, that we find Monica in use across Europe in the 16th century, particularly in German and Spanish-speaking countries. It was during this time that the name began to be used in small numbers in Britain as well. It features in the top 100 names in Restoration Era Norfolk, but overall it was rare.  It wasn't until the 19th century that the name began to rise in use, reaching the top 100 in the early 20th century. The rise in the late 19th century may in some part be thanks to it being used for the heroines of serialised romances in the 1880s and 1890s (such as 'The Wooing of Monica', 1899 in the Manchester Times and 'Monica: A Love Story', 1883 in the Leeds Times). Most importantly, however, Monica -- being primarily a saints' name -- was principally used by Catholic families. Data from the 1881 census shows us that Monica was in highest use in the North of England and London: the areas with highest concentration of Catholics. click to enlarge Births for Monica in England and Wales: 1840s: 62 births 1850s: 82 births 1860s: 117 births 1870s: 210 births 1880s: 424 births 1890s: 785 births 1900s: 1869 births 1910s: 3561 births In terms of rankings, Monica first reached the top 200 in 1900 in England and Wales and had a steep rise shortly after before falling out of the top 100 by 1954: 1880: #253 1890: #226  1900: #197 1914: *not in top 100* 1924: #87 1934: #99 1944: #89 1954: *not in top 100* 1964: *not in top 100* This also corresponds to Leslie Dunkling's data for the number of children registered with the name Monica in every 10,000 births in England and Wales:  1900 1925  1935  1950  1955  1960  1965  1970  1975  1980  1985  1990     -    6    10    18     4    10    -     -     -     -     -    4 click to enlarge Since 1996, Monica has been declining in England and Wales. Initially, when TV sitcom Friends was at its height, Monica reached the top 300 (peaking in 1997 at #274 and 1998 at #278), but since 2005 it has ranked below the top 500. The initial drop in 1999 to #415 was most likely due to the media scandal involving White House intern Monica Lewinsky which came to light in late 1998.  The name did drop below the top 1000 in 2012, but has since seen a moderate rise.  In Scotland, Monica ranked between #200 and #370  each year between 1976 to 1995. Just like in England and Wales, the name enjoyed a peak 1997 (#124) and 1998 (#127), likely thanks to Friends, and also dropped down to #245 in 1999.  In 2015, Monica ranked #794 (48 births) in England and Wales and #806 (3 births) in Scotland.

Famous Bearers:

History: * St. Monica (322-387), mother of St. Augustine and Christian saint.  * Monica Naisen (d. 1626), Japanese Roman Catholic martyr, beatified in 1867. * Monica Dickens (1915-1992), British novelist.  Contemporary: * Monica Vitti (born 1931), Italian actress. * Monica Bellucci (b. 1964), Italian actress. * Monica Ali (b. 1967), British author. * Monica Seles (b. 1973), American tennis player.  * Mónica Cruz (b. 1977), Spanish actress. * Monica Arnold (b. 1980), American singer, professionally known as "Monica" Literature and Other Media: * Monica Madden, character in George Gissing's 1893 novel The Odd Women. * Monica Geller, character in TV sitcom Friends (1994-2004). * Monica, angel in the TV show Touched by an Angel.

Variants:

Monika (German, Scandinavian, Slavic, Polish), Mónica (Spanish), Mônica (Portuguese), Monique (French), Mónika (Hungarian)

Pronunciation:

MON-ee-kə [key]

Possible  diminutives:

Mona, Monnie, Nickie, Nika

Sibling Names:

Carmen      Bianca     Claudia     Cecilia     Audrey     Bridget  Laurence     Martin     Vincent     Patrick     Curtis     Timothy

Name Lists:

N/A

  

If you like Monica you may also like:   Veronica, Teresa, Stella, Lillian, Sonia, Angelica, Martina, Rosanna, Annika, Marcia

 

 Thanks to Arabella for requesting this name. 

Name Help: A sibling for Joel and Eliza

 

 

Mark and Clare are expecting their third child soon: a brother or sister for Joel and Eliza. 

Mark writes: 

"We really love the names we have picked for our first two as Joel just seemed such a cool name and he has really lived up to it. It is short and sweet. We also call him Joely. Eliza as a name seemed full of character and, again, it really suits her. We really want to get the third one right but none of the names we have come up with have seemed to be as perfect just yet

We have a rather unusual surname so we need a name that is not too common. We like names to be individual so as to not just be called by their surname (or variations of it - mostly rude) as I endured at school. However, we would like the name to be instantly recognisable as it is a pain to have to spell out both your first name and surname e.g. on the phone.

For girls, we are thinking of Pippa and Cora but neither really stand out. For boys we are really stuck. We like Rory and Rowan but again we could do with some other options. Rowan seems to be getting more popular as a girl's name and we don't like that ambiguity otherwise that would be favourite. Rory is a lovely name but it just doesn't roll off the tongue with our surname. The other name my wife really likes is Finn but that is the name of a good friend's dog and I just think that would be strange to me. I have a thing about not using surnames as first names but Flynn is also on the shortlist."

 

※    ※    ※    ※

 

So, short, sweet, spunky, uncommon yet still recognisable. Here are some names that I hope fit the bill:

 

Ada – Short and sweet, Ada is a vintage gem with plenty of character. Not common but stylish and accessible. Notable namesakes include Ada Lovelace, daughter of Lord Byron, gifted mathematician, writer and first computer programmer. A sister name, also from the Old German adal "noble" is lissome Adele. 

Orla – A lively feminine Irish name meaning "golden ruler" and borne by ancient queens." Understated, accessible yet bold.

Hazel – A spunky botanical name which packs a sweet, fragrant punch. Other names of a similar style include Fern, Olive and Iris. 

Lois – A sweet Biblical name with plenty of character. It is quite a grown-up name, but when worn by little girls, I can assure you it is perfectly adorable at the same time. 

Lena – A stylish European name which came over to Britain in the 18th century and has retained a feisty yet genteel quality. 

Willa – A sleek and chic feminine form of William. Far softer than Wilhelmina but with just as much decorum. 

Lilia – An elegant Eastern European form of sweet Lily. 

Rose – Sweet rose is a gentle name with plenty of backbone. Variant Rosa is also worth considering.

Carys – A sleek Welsh name which means "loved," Carys isn't common but it is recognisable. 

Seren – Another pretty and sprightly Welsh name is Seren meaning "star." 

May – Sometimes the shortest names can pack the sweetest punch, and May certainly fits that bill. Short, sweet and sassy, May (or Mae) was once used as a diminutive for Mary and Margaret so it has plenty of pedigree. 

 

Reuben – A gentle but sturdy Biblical name with a straightforward sound.

Roman – Of a similar ilk to Reuben is Roman, a short form of the Latin name Romanus which is common in Germanic and Slavic countries but an underused gem over here.

Miles – An affable gentleman which feels down to earth. Not too common, but not too unusual. Variant Milo is also worth considering. 

Lance – The English and French form of the Germanic name Lanzo. Used since the Middle Ages and the source of Lancelot, the legendary Arthurian knight. It quickly became associated with the 'lance' weapon, giving it an added rugged feel.

Hugo – Quirky and refined at the same time, Hugo is a stately name with plenty of character. 

Ned – A short form of Edward or Edmund which works very well on its own. Its friendly and down to earth but with a decidedly cool edge. 

Levi – Sleek and cool, biblical and stylish. Levi is fashionable around the world but still relatively underused in Britain. 

Ralph – Gentle, solid, quirky Ralph is underused but stylish - and universally likable. 

Asher – A great underused biblical choice -- meaning "happy" -- which is cool but accessible. 

Rex – There's Lex for Alexander, Dex for Dexter, yet kingly Rex easily stands alone. It has all the cool, strong sounds of Max but much more uncommon. 

 

I hope this has been of use. Best wishes with the name hunting.