Sofonisba

Girl · Punic (uncertain)

Sofonisba

Say it: soh-foh-NEEZ-bah

Meaning

From Sophonisba, a Carthaginian noblewoman; a Punic origin is assumed but its meaning is uncertain.

Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.

Its wave through time

No birth counts are recorded for this name in the records loaded here: it has been given to fewer than five babies a year, or not at all, since records began.

Through the ages

The Renaissance1400 to 1600

Used by

Italian

The family of the name

Latin	Sophonisba

Famous bearers

Sofonisba Anguissola, Renaissance painter

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Where this comes from

Roman literature and history (Livy, Cicero, Tacitus and others)
Medieval and Renaissance Italian records, such as the Florentine tax survey of 1427

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.