Agatha (given name)
Agatha
An Orthodox icon of St. Agatha of Sicily, the saint responsible for the wide usage of the name Agatha
Pronunciation/ˈæɡəθə/[1]
GenderFemale
LanguageAncient Greek
Name day5 February[2]
Origin
Meaning"good"
Other names
Variant formsÁgatha, Agata, Ágata, Agafa
See alsoAg, Aggy, Aggi, Aggie

Agatha, also Agata, is a feminine given name derived from the Greek feminine name Ἀγάθη (Agáthē; alternative form: Ἀγαθή Agathḗ), which is a nominalized form of ἀγαθή (agathḗ), i.e. the feminine form of the adjective ἀγαθός (agathós) "good".[3][4][5]

It was the name of St. Agatha of Sicily, a third-century Christian martyr. Rarely has the name been given in English-speaking countries during recent years.[6] Agatha was last ranked among the top 1,000 names for girls born in the United States during the 1930s.[7]

“Agatha” is a common name in Greece and countries that speak Germanic languages.

Russian name

In Russian, the name "Ага́та" (Agata) was borrowed from the Western European languages, and derives from the same Ancient Greek root from which older names Agafya[8] and Agafa[9] also come. Its masculine version is Agat.[10] In 1924–1930, the name was included into various Soviet calendars,[11] which included the new and often purposefully created names promoting the new Soviet realities and encouraging the break with the tradition of using the names in the Synodal Menologia.[12]

Its diminutives include Agatka (Ага́тка), Aga (А́га), and Gata (Га́та).[9]

Regional variants

Diminutive variants

People

Agatha

Agathe

Agata

Fictional characters

See also

References

Notes

  1. ^ Wells, John (26 March 2010). "Agatha and Helena". John Wells's phonetic blog. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
  2. ^ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006). A Dictionary of First Names. Oxford paperback reference. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. pp. 42–43. ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1. OCLC 67869278. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  3. ^ ἀγαθός. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; A Greek–English Lexicon at the Perseus Project.
  4. ^ Harper, Douglas. "Agatha". Online Etymology Dictionary.
  5. ^ a b "Agata" (in Swedish). Swedish Institute for Language and Folklore. Archived from the original on 2020-02-05. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  6. ^ Behind the Name
  7. ^ Behind the Name
  8. ^ Nikonov, p. 63
  9. ^ a b Petrovsky, p. 38
  10. ^ a b c d e f Superanskaya [1], p. 251
  11. ^ Superanskaya [2], pp. 22 and 278
  12. ^ Toronto Slavic Quarterly. Елена Душечкина. "Мессианские тенденции в советской антропонимической практике 1920-х - 1930-х годов" (in Russian)
  13. ^ a b "Agaate". Name Doctor. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  14. ^ Aagje and Aagtje at the Meertens Institute database of Dutch given names

Sources

  • В. А. Никонов (V. A. Nikonov). "Ищем имя" (Looking for a Name). Изд. "Советская Россия". Москва, 1988. ISBN 5-268-00401-8
  • Н. А. Петровский (N. A. Petrovsky). "Словарь русских личных имён" (Dictionary of Russian First Names). ООО Издательство "АСТ". Москва, 2005. ISBN 5-17-002940-3
  • [1] А. В. Суперанская (A. V. Superanskaya). "Современный словарь личных имён: Сравнение. Происхождение. Написание" (Modern Dictionary of First Names: Comparison. Origins. Spelling). Айрис-пресс. Москва, 2005. ISBN 5-8112-1399-9
  • [2] А. В. Суперанская (A. V. Superanskaya). "Словарь русских имён" (Dictionary of Russian Names). Издательство Эксмо. Москва, 2005. ISBN 5-699-14090-5
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