Gender Feminine
Pronounced Pron. MAHN-i-kə(English) MAW-nee-ka(Italian) mo-NEE-ka(Romanian)  [key·IPA]

Meaning & History

Meaning unknown, most likely of Berber or Phoenician origin. In the 4th century this name was borne by a North African saint, the mother of Saint Augustine of Hippo, whom she converted to Christianity. Since the Middle Ages it has been associated with Latin moneo "advisor" and Greek monos "one".

As an English name, Monica has been in general use since the 18th century. In America it reached the height of its popularity in the 1970s, declining since then. A famous bearer was the Yugoslavian tennis player Monica Seles (1973-).

Related Names

VariantsMonique(English) Monika(Swedish) Monika(Norwegian) Monika(Danish) Monique(Dutch) Monika(Finnish)
DiminutivesMona(Swedish) Mona(Norwegian) Mona(Danish)
Other Languages & CulturesMonika(Bulgarian) Mònica(Catalan) Monika(Croatian) Monika(Czech) Monika, Moonika(Estonian) Monique(French) Monika(German) Mónika(Hungarian) Monika(Latvian) Monika(Lithuanian) Monika(Polish) Mônica(Portuguese (Brazilian)) Mónica(Portuguese (European)) Monika(Slovak) Monika(Slovene) Mónica(Spanish)
Same SpellingMónica, Mònica, Mônica
User SubmissionMònica

People think this name is

formal   upper class   wholesome   strong   refined   strange  

Name Days

Italy: August 27

Categories

Entry updated April 5, 2022