Diana
Where Diana comes from
Borrowed from Late Latin Diāna, short form of Latin Dīāna, derived by syncope from Old Latin Dīvāna, equivalent to dīvus + -āna; roughly akin to Proto-Italic *deiwā (“goddess”) + Proto-Indo-European *-néh₂. Originally an Old Italic divinity of light and the moon; later identified as the Roman counterpart to Greek goddess Artemis. Cognate of Attic Greek Διώνη (Diṓnē), similarly syncopated from older Ancient Greek Διϝωνη (Diwōnē), whence via Latin Diōne is derived English Dione used in various ways across astronomy, chemistry, biology, and as a given name. From the same root Proto-Indo-European *dyúh₃onh₂- also potentially cognate to English June via Latin Jūnō.
- Latin
- 3 syllables
- Vowel-ended
Along the way
- 1880First SSA yearAlready #547 among girls — 10 babies in the first year on record.
- 1938Diana Rigg bornEnglish actress
- 1944Diana Ross bornAmerican singer and actress
- 1946Peak, #427,544 babies named Diana — more than any year before or since.
- 1972The fadeThe first year with half the peak's births — down to #83.
In the dictionary
- A female given name from Latin.
Namesakes
- Diana Ross · American singer and actress, born 1944
- Diana Rigg · English actress, 1938–2020
- Diana Wynne Jones · English children's fantasy writer, 1934–2011
- Diana Krall · Canadian recording artist; jazz singer and pianist, born 1964
- Diana Hayden · Indian actress, television host, beauty queen and the winner of Miss World 1997, born 1973
Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.