Bernice

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A feminine given name of Latin and Greek origin, a form of Berenice, meaning bringer of victory
2. A female first name borrowed from the Greek Berenike, popular in English-speaking countries in the early twentieth century
3. Feminine personal name and variant of Berenice, traditionally linked with the Macedonian and Ptolemaic royal families

Etymology: Bernice is a Biblical form of the name Berenice, and the older name goes back to Ancient Greek "Bereníkē." That Greek name is built from two elements, "phero," meaning "to bring," and "nikē," meaning "victory," so it literally means "bringer of victory." The name was popular among the Macedonian and Ptolemaic royal families, most famously in the figure of Berenice II of Egypt, the queen whose hair supposedly became a constellation, which is why the name is still associated with it. The Biblical form reached English through the scriptures, where the name appears in the New Testament as a relative of King Herod Agrippa. Its spelling shifted over time, and "Bernice" became the usual English version, while "Berenice" stayed closer to the Greek.