Gender Feminine
Scripts Сусанна(Russian, Ukrainian) Սուսաննա(Armenian) שׁוֹשַׁנָּה(Ancient Hebrew) Сꙋсанна(Church Slavic)
Pronounced Pron. soo-ZAN-na(Italian) soo-ZAN-nə(Catalan) suy-SAN-na(Swedish) SOO-sahn-nah(Finnish) suw-SAN-nə(Russian) suw-SAN-nu(Ukrainian) suy-SAH-na(Dutch) soo-ZAN-ə(English)  [key·IPA]

Meaning & History

From Σουσάννα (Sousanna), the Greek form of the Hebrew name שׁוֹשַׁנָּה (Shoshannah). This was derived from the Hebrew word שׁוֹשָׁן (shoshan) meaning "lily" (in modern Hebrew this also means "rose"), perhaps ultimately from Egyptian sšn "lotus". In the Old Testament Apocrypha this is the name of a woman falsely accused of adultery. The prophet Daniel clears her name by tricking her accusers, who end up being condemned themselves. It also occurs in the New Testament belonging to a woman who ministers to Jesus.

As an English name, it was occasionally used during the Middle Ages in honour of the Old Testament heroine. It did not become common until after the Protestant Reformation, at which time it was often spelled Susan.

Related Names

VariantsSusanne(Swedish) Susanne(Finnish) Syuzanna(Russian) Suzanne(Dutch) Susan, Suzan, Suzanna, Susanne, Suzanne(English) Susannah(Biblical)
DiminutivesSanna, Susann(Swedish) Sanna, Sanni(Finnish) Sanne, Suus(Dutch) Sookie, Sue, Suki, Sukie, Susie, Suz, Suzi, Suzie, Suzy, Zanna(English)
Other Languages & CulturesSuzana(Albanian) Sawsan(Arabic) Sousanna(Biblical Greek) Shoshannah(Biblical Hebrew) Suzana(Croatian) Zuzana, Zuzanka, Zuzka(Czech) Susanne, Sanne, Susann(Danish) Suzanne, Suzette(French) Susanne, Susann, Suse, Susi(German) Shoshana(Hebrew) Zsuzsanna, Zsazsa, Zsuzsa, Zsuzsi(Hungarian) Zane, Zuzanna(Latvian) Zuzana(Lithuanian) Suzana(Macedonian) Huhana(Maori) Susanne, Susann(Norwegian) Zuzanna, Zula, Zuza, Zuzia(Polish) Susana(Portuguese) Suzana(Portuguese (Brazilian)) Suzana(Serbian) Zuzana, Zuza, Zuzanka, Zuzka(Slovak) Suzana(Slovene) Susana, Susanita(Spanish)
User SubmissionsSúsanna, Süsanna, Susánna, Susánná

Popularity

People think this name is

classic   formal   upper class   natural   wholesome   refined   serious  

Name Days

Austria: August 11
Estonia: August 11
Finland: August 11
Sweden: August 11

Images

Susanna and the Elders by Veronese (1570)Susanna and the Elders by Veronese (1570)

Categories

Entry updated April 5, 2022