Mona
Meaning of Mona
Anchored in a confluence of linguistic streams, the feminine forename Mona may be traced to four principal sources: first, the Gaelic Móna, a late-medieval diminutive of Muadhnait that connotes “little noble one”; second, the Scandinavian and Anglo-American pet form of the early Christian Monica; third, the Arabic منى (munā), whose abstract plural signifies “wishes” or “deep desires”; and fourth, the Italian honorific “Mona,” a contraction of ma donna, immortalized in Leonardo da Vinci’s portrait of Lisa Gherardini and hence furnishing the name with an enduring artistic aura. Phonetically stabilized in contemporary English as MOH-nuh, the name has maintained a modest but uninterrupted presence in United States vital statistics: after peaking during the Progressive Era it has settled, over the past half-century, into the middle hundreds of the national ranking, thereby retaining recognizability without succumbing to overuse. These layered origins, coupled with the cultural cachet bestowed by the Mona Lisa and periodic appearances of actresses, writers, and political figures who bear the name, allow Mona to project an image that is at once cosmopolitan, concise, and historically resonant.
Pronunciation
Arabic
- Pronunced as MOH-nah (/ˈmoʊnɑː/)
British English
- Pronunced as MOH-nuh (/ˈməʊnə/)
American English
- Pronunced as MOH-nuh (/ˈmoʊnə/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
States Popularity Chart
Notable People Named Mona
| Mona Hanna is a pediatrician, author, and public health advocate whose research helped expose the Flint water crisis. |
| Mona Hatoum is a British-Palestinian artist based in London, known for her multimedia works and installations. |
| Mona Chalmers Watson was a pioneering British physician and the first woman to earn an MD from the University of Edinburgh. |
| Mona Sahlin is a Swedish politician who led the Social Democratic Party and the opposition from 2007 to 2011. |
| Mona Nemer is a Lebanese Canadian scientist known for her research in molecular genetics and heart regeneration. |
| Mona Eltahawy is an Egyptian American journalist and author known for her outspoken advocacy for women's rights. |
| Mona Williams was an American novelist and poet whose novelette inspired the 1954 film Woman's World. |
| Mona Louise Parsons was a Canadian actress, nurse, and Dutch resistance member imprisoned by the Nazis during World War II. |
| Mona Haydar is a Syrian American rapper, poet, activist and chaplain best known for her viral protest song Hijabi. |
| Mona Simpson is an award-winning American novelist best known for Anywhere but Here, which was adapted into a film. |
| Mona von Bismarck - Mona Bismarck was an American socialite and philanthropist celebrated as the first American named the best dressed woman in the world. |
| Mona Chalabi is a Pulitzer Prize-winning British data journalist, illustrator and writer of Iraqi descent known for her work in The New York Times and The Guardian. |
| Mona Smith is a Native American artist, storyteller and documentary producer. |
