Monica (given name)

Monica
Pronunciation	/ˈmɒnɪkə/
Gender	Female
Origin
Word/name	uncertain
Meaning	unique, to advise, alone, nun, solitary
Other names
Related names	Monika, Monique, Moonika, Mona

Monica is a female given name with many variant forms, including Mónica (Italian, Spanish and Portuguese), Mônica (Brazilian Portuguese), Monique (French), Monika (German, Indian), Moonika (Estonia), and Mónika (Hungarian).

History[]

The etymology of Monica is unknown. Its earliest attestation known today is as the name of Saint Monica, mother of Saint Augustine. St. Monica was born in Numidia in North Africa, but was also a citizen of Carthage, hence the name may be of Punic or Berber origin.^[1] It has also been associated with the Greek word monos, meaning "alone".^[2] Though etymologically unrelated, "Monica" was also a name in Latin, deriving from the verb monere, meaning 'to advise.'

One of the early occurrences of the name in modern literature is the character Monica Thorne in the 1858 novel Doctor Thorne by Anthony Trollope.^[2]

Popularity[]

In the United States, the name's popularity reached a peak in 1977, when it was the 39th most popular female name for new births. The popularity has gradually waned since then, being 76th most popular in 1990, and 363rd in 2010.^[3]

Name day[]

In the European tradition of name day celebration, the date for the name Monica or Monika varies from country to country. In Hungary it is 4 May, as it is in Sweden. In Slovakia it is 7 May, and in the Czech Republic it is celebrated on 21 May. In Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain it is celebrated on 27 August. In Latvia it is celebrated on 6 October and in Greece on 15 June.

Notable people[]

Monica Aksamit (born 1990), American fencer
Monica Aldama, American cheerleading coach
Monica Ali (born 1967), British author
Monica Arnold (born 1980), American singer, professionally known as "Monica"
Monica Aspelund (born 1946), Finnish singer
Monica Bandini (1964–2021), Italian road racing cyclist
Monica Bellucci (born 1964), Italian actress
Monica Beltran (born 1985), American soldier
Monica Birwinyo (born 1990), Ugandan actress
Monica Brant (born 1970), American fitness/figure competitor and model
Mónica Carrillo (born 1976), Spanish journalist and novelist
Monica Cole (1922–1994), English geographer
Mónica Cruz (born 1977), Spanish actress
Monica Dickens (1915–1992), British author of books for adults and children
Monica Edwards (1912–1998), British children's author
Monica Evans (born 1940), British actress
Mónica Falcioni (born 1968), Uruguayan long and triple jumper
Mónica Feria Tinta (born 1966), British/Peruvian barrister, public international law specialist
Monica Goodling (born 1973), former Director of Public Affairs for the U.S. Department of Justice
Monica Hickmann Alves (born 1987), Brazilian footballer
Monica De Gennaro (born 1987), Italian volleyball player
Monica Horan (born 1963), American actress
Monica of Hippo (322–387), Numidian saint, the mother of Saint Augustine
Monica Iozzi (born 1981), Brazilian actress and reporter
Monica Keena (born 1979), American actress
Mónica Kräuter (born 1967), Venezuelan chemist and professor
Monica Lewinsky (born 1973), American White House intern and scandal celebrity
Monica Lierhaus (born 1970), German sports journalist and television host
Mónica López (politician), Argentine politician
Monica Macovei, Romanian politician
Mónica Montañés (born 1966), Venezuelan screewriter and journalist.
Monica Murnan (born 1966), American politician
Monica Naisen (died 1626), Japanese Roman Catholic martyr beatified in 1867
Mónica Naranjo (born 1974), Spanish singer
Monica von Neumann, American socialite
Monica Niculescu (born 1987), Romanian tennis player
Mónica Pont (born 1969), Spanish long-distance runner
Monica Potter (born 1971), American actress
Monica Raymund (born 1986), American actress
Mónica Regonesi (born 1961), Chilean long-distance runner
Monica Rial, American voice actress and ADR director
Mônica Rodrigues (born 1967), Brazilian volleyball player
Monica Ruwanpathirana, Sri Lankan poet
Monica Simpson, American reproductive rights activist
Monica Seles (born 1973), American-Serbian tennis player
Monica VanDieren, American mathematician
Mónica Vergara (born 1983), Mexican footballer
Monica Vitti (born 1931), Italian actress
Monica Yunus (born 1979), Bangladeshi-Russian-American opera singer
Monica Zetterlund (1937–2005), Swedish singer and actress

Fictional characters[]

Monica Geller in the TV series Friends
Monica Gallagher in the TV series Shameless (UK) and Shameless (US)
Monika Kaniyashiki, police officer in the anime My Hero Academia
Monika, a self-aware AI from the (seemingly) light-hearted dating simulator Doki Doki Literature Club

Monica Madden in George Gissing's 1893 novel The Odd Women
Monica Quartermaine in the TV series General Hospital
Monica Reeves in the film Bad Hair Day
Monica in Monica's Gang
Monica in the TV series Touched by an Angel
Monica, a crossing guard in The Angry Birds Movie
Monica in the animated series Oggy and the Cockroaches
Monica Rambeau in WandaVision

References[]

^ Norman, Teresa (2003). A World of Baby Names. Perigee. p. 213. ISBN 0-399-52894-6.
^ ^a ^b Room, Adrian (2002). Cassell's Dictionary of First Names. Sterling Publishing. pp. 467–8. ISBN 0-304-36226-3.
^ "Popular Baby Names", United States Social Security Administration, search term: "Monica". Retrieved 21 July 2011.

This page or section lists people that share the same given name.
If an led you here, you may wish to change that link to point directly to the intended article.

[1] Norman, Teresa (2003). A World of Baby Names. Perigee. p. 213. ISBN 0-399-52894-6.

[Room-2] Room, Adrian (2002). Cassell's Dictionary of First Names. Sterling Publishing. pp. 467–8. ISBN 0-304-36226-3.

[3] "Popular Baby Names", United States Social Security Administration, search term: "Monica". Retrieved 21 July 2011.

[1]

[2]

[3]