Juliana

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A feminine first name of Latin origin, a variant of Julia, borne by many notable women in Europe
2. A female given name derived from the Roman family name Julius, popular in Dutch and other European countries
3. Used as a woman's first name, traditionally linked with the Latin Julius and common across Europe

Etymology: Juliana is the feminine form of Julian, and the name carries the Roman family name Julius with it. The Julii were an old patrician clan of Rome, and they claimed descent from Iulus, a son of Aeneas in the legends of the Trojan founder of the Roman people. The Latin feminine "Iūliāna" simply marks a woman of that gens, a pattern Romans used for daughters and female members of a family. The name reached English through Middle English, where "Juliana" was already in use as a personal name. It is a sibling of Julia, Giulia and Juliette, all drawn from the same Latin root, so the name appears in many European languages in slightly different forms. Its most famous bearer in English history is Julian of Norwich, the medieval mystic, whose name is often given in this feminine form.