Susanna

Meaning of Susanna

Susanna is a name that first unfolded in ancient Hebrew as Shoshannah—“lily”—and, like a silken ribbon carried on a sea breeze, threaded its way through Greek, Latin, and finally the musical cadences of Italian, where she still strolls beneath lemon trees and ocher balconies. She carries biblical grace from the tale of Susanna and the Elders, the lily symbolizing purity that defies gossip’s shadows, yet she is equally at home in folk-song refrains—prepare for an affectionate chorus of “Oh! Susanna” at family picnics. Art and literature have sketched her in soft chiaroscuro: Caravaggio bathed her in candlelight, while contemporary author Susanna Tamaro lets her wander through modern prose. In America, her bloom once crowned nursery gardens at the turn of the twentieth century and, though her ranking now drifts in the 700s, she remains the quiet wildflower that seasoned namers rediscover with delighted surprise. Choose Susanna and you invite a name scented with lilies, serenaded by banjos, and kissed by a Tuscan sunset—classic, unhurried, and forever in gentle blossom.