Mona (name)
| Mona | |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈmoʊnə/ MOH-nə |
| Gender | Female |
| Origin | |
| Meaning | various |
| Other names | |
| Related names | Monica, Ramona, Simona |
 |
Look up Mona in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
Mona is a female, and sometimes male, given name and a surname of multiple origins.
Given name
As a given name, Mona can have the following meanings and origins;
| Language | Source | Meaning | Variant forms | Gender |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arabic | Variant transcription of Muna (مُنى) | Wishes[1] | Muna, Mouna | Female |
| Gaelic/Irish | Anglicized form of Muadhnait | Noble One | Monah, Monna, Monya | Female |
| Greek | Monos (μονος) | Solitary, One | Female | |
| Ancient Italian | Contraction of the title Madonna | My lady | Female | |
| Miwok | Gathered of the seed of a jimson weed. | Male and Female | ||
| Nepalese | Bud | Muna | Female | |
| Old English | Moon | Female | ||
| Persian | An adjective for God, derives from Mana, means who lasts forever | Female | ||
| Scottish | Female form of Tormod, derived from Norman | Northman, Viking [2] | Female | |
| Sanskrit | Alone,unique | Female | ||
| Teutonic | Loner | Female |
In northern Europe, where the name is much more popular, Mona is interpreted as a diminutive of Monika or, rarely, of Ramona or Simona. It is sometimes associated with the title of Leonardo da Vinci's painting Mona Lisa, although in that context the word Mona is actually a title rather than a name. The word mona also means cute, monkey and doll in Spanish. In Sweden, Mona's name day is May 4.[3]
Mona was a relatively popular given name in the United States in the 1930s, 1950s and 1960s. The highest ranking it ever reached in the US was #230, in 1950.[4]
Surname
As a surname, Mona can have two origins. In Italian and Greek, it is a feminine form of Moni which is a short form of Simone, the Italian form of Simon. In arabic countries, it is derived from the given name Muna, meaning " unreachable wishes". It is the plural form of the word Munia (مـُـنيه).[5]
Notable people
- Mouna Ayoub, Lebanese businesswoman
- Mona Barthel, professional tennis player
- Mona Charen, political columnist
- Mona Ghoneim (born 1955), Egyptian composer
- Mona Grudt (born 1971), former Miss Universe from Norway
- Mona Hatoum (born 1952), British artist of Palestinian origin
- Mona Hofland (born 1929), Norwegian actress
- Mona Keijzer (born 1968), Dutch politician
- Mona Mahmudnizhad (born 1965), Iranian woman executed for membership of the Bahá'í Faith
- Mona Marshall (born 1947), American voice actress
- Mona Sahlin (born 1957), Swedish politician
- Mona Siddiqui (born 1963), British Muslim academic
- Mona Simpson (born 1957), American novelist of Syrian and German descent
- Mona von Bismarck (1897–1983) American socialite fashion icon
- Mona Zaki, Egyptian actress
- Mona, ring name of Americanl wrestler Nora Greenwald
Fictional characters
- Mona Stevens, in Landfall by Nevil Shute
- Mona from the WarioWare series
- Mona, Ross Geller's girlfriend in the television series Friends, played by Bonnie Somerville
- Mona Mayfair in several novels by Anne Rice
- Mona McCluskey, main character in television sitcom of the same name
- Mona Aamons Monzano, the only beautiful woman on San Lorenzo, in Kurt Vonnegut's novel Cat's Cradle
- Mona Parker, main character from the animated television series Mona the Vampire and the book of the same name
- Mona Ramsey, female character from the Tales of the City books by Armistead Maupin Portrayed first by Chloe Webb and then by Nina Siemaszko.
- Mona Sax, the lead female character in the film.
- Mona Simpson (The Simpsons) Homer Simpson's estranged mother.
- Mona Vanderwaal in Pretty Little Liars
- In Mona Lisa Overdrive, the final novel of William Gibson's Sprawl trilogy, Mona is a young prostitute
- Mona Bergeron, main character in the 1985 French film Vagabond (Sans Toit ni Loi)
- Mona Robinson, mother of Angela Bower in the television series Who's the Boss?
See also
References
- ↑ "Mona". Behind the Name. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
- ↑ "Tormod - Meaning of the name". Babynamespedia.com. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
- ↑ "Name days for Mona". Behind the Name. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
- ↑ "Popularity for Mona". Behind the Name. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
- ↑ "The Mona Surname". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 18 December 2011.