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Diana (name)

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Diana (name)
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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]

Quick facts Gender, Origin ...

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]

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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

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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]

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People

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Fictional characters

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See also

References

Bibliography

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