Ginevra (given name)

Ginevra is a feminine given name. It was occasionally used in medieval and Renaissance Italy in reference to Queen Guinevere, King Arthur’s queen in the popular Arthurian legends.[1] It is the Italian version of the name Guinevere, which is a Norman French version of the Welsh name Gwenhwyfar, meaning "white" and "smooth" or "white phantom."[2][3] It is also associated with the juniper tree in Italy, where the name for the tree is ginepro. Geneva, Switzerland is called Ginevra in Italian.[4] It is a currently popular name for girls in Italy, where it was among the top 10 most popular names for baby girls in 2020.[5] It is in occasional use in other countries, including the United States, where it was given to 12 newborn girls born in 2020 and to 14 girls born in 2021[6] and Switzerland, where it was given to 17 girls born in 2020.[7]

Ginevra
Queen Guinevere’s Maying by John Collier.
GenderFemale
Language(s)Italian
Origin
MeaningItalian form of Guinevere, meaning white phantom.
Other names
See alsoGeneva, Guinevere, Jennifer, Juniper

People

Fictional characters
  • Ginevra di Scozia, title character of the opera by Simon Mayr
  • Princess Ginevra of Scotland, one of the main characters of Handel's opera Ariodante
  • Ginevra or Ginny Weasley in Harry Potter books
  • Ginevra Fanshawe in Charlotte Brontë's novel Villette

Notes
  1. Byrne, Joseph P. The World of Renaissance Italy: A Daily Life Encyclopedia, Greenwood, 2017, ISBN 1440829594, page 191
  2. Witchard Goetinck, Glenys (1966). "Gwenhwyfar, Guinevere and Guenièvre". Études Celtiques. 11 (2): 351–360. doi:10.3406/ecelt.1966.1400.
  3. "Nook of Names Pick of the Week — Guinevere". 31 July 2011.
  4. "Meaning, origin and history of the name Ginevra".
  5. "How many babies are named...?".
  6. "Popular Baby Names".
  7. "Vornamen der Neugeborenen - Bundesamt für Statistik".
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