Gender Feminine
Scripts Ῥωξάνη(Ancient Greek)
Pronounced Pron. rahk-SAN-ə(English) rok-SA-na(Spanish)  [key·IPA]

Meaning & History

Latin form of Ῥωξάνη (Rhoxane), the Greek form of an Old Persian or Bactrian name, from Old Iranian *rauxšnā meaning "bright, shining" [1]. This was the name of Alexander the Great's first wife, a daughter of the Bactrian nobleman Oxyartes. In the modern era it came into use during the 17th century. In the English-speaking world it was popularized by Daniel Defoe, who used it in his novel Roxana (1724).

Related Names

VariantsRoxane, Roxanna, Roxanne, Rexana, Rexanne(English) Rosana(Spanish) Ruxandra(Romanian) Rhoxane(Ancient Greek)
DiminutivesRoxie, Roxy(English)
Other Languages & CulturesRoxane, Roxanne(French) Roshni(Hindi) Rossana(Italian) Roshni(Marathi) Rauxshna(Old Persian) Roshan, Roshanak(Persian) Roksana(Polish) Rosana(Portuguese) Roksana(Russian) Ruşen(Turkish) Rukhsana(Urdu)
User SubmissionRoxána

Popularity

People think this name is

formal   upper class   strong   refined   strange   complex  

Name Days

Hungary: September 14 (as Roxána)

Images

Detail from Alexander the Great and Roxana by Pietro Rotari (1756)Detail from Alexander the Great and Roxana by Pietro Rotari (1756)

Categories

Sources & References

Entry updated December 7, 2022