Girl · Welsh, through Arthurian romance
Ginevra
Say it: jee-NEV-rah
Meaning
The Italian form of Guinevere, from Welsh Gwenhwyfar; the first element is usually taken as gwen 'white, fair, holy', the second is debated. The link to Italian ginepro 'juniper' is a pun, not the origin.
Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.
Arthurian romance brought it into Italian use in the Middle Ages, and it has become one of Italy's favourite girls' names in the 21st century.
Its wave through time
Rare in the records
In the United States
- 231 babies given this name since 1913
- At its height in 2019, about 1 in 72,600 girls
- 12 babies in 2020
Through the ages
Used by
The family of the name
| English | Guinevere |
|---|---|
| Welsh | Gwenhwyfar |
| French | Guenièvre |
Famous bearers
- Ginevra de' Benci, subject of Leonardo da Vinci's portrait
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- The medieval Arthurian romances
- Medieval and Renaissance Italian records, such as the Florentine tax survey of 1427
- National birth statistics of European countries source
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.