Submitted Name
Gender Feminine
Other Forms FormsSofonisba (Italian)
Meaning & History
A classical rendering of the original Carthaginian name Saphanba'al, possibly meaning "Ba'al has sheltered her", from the Punic element saphan "sheltered" combined with the name of the god BA'AL. Sophonisba was a 3rd-century BCE Carthaginian princess whose name was mentioned in this form by Roman historians Livy and Appian and later popularized by numerous playwrights from the 15th century onwards.