The Baby Name Wizard

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Comments and insights on the name Diana: | Edit

Diana seems to be rising again. I know 2 Dianas who are about age 14 or so. Both happen to be Asian, if that matters.

Diana is such an international name. It travels well and would be an excellent choice for parents of mixed cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Diana is spelled the same in English; Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Catalan and Romanian; Hungarian; German and Dutch.

However, in most (all?) of these languages the i pronounced "ee" rather than "eye" as in English, and the a as "ah" (as in "father," rather than the hard a of "apple"), so be prepared to encounter and perhaps use both versions. If you choose to pronounce Diana the internationally standard way, English speakers will probably assume you are spelling it Deanna, Deeonna or something similar. So - cross-culturally flexible, yes, but only if you don't mind either correcting people a lot (on spelling and/or pronunciation) or using multiple versions interchangeably.

An alternate pronunciation for Diana (for Spanish speakers) would be di-AH-nah

Diana has a lot of the appeal of Emily: feminine but not too frilly, simple but elegant, three smooth syllables packed into a sleek, straightforward five-letter spelling. With ends-in-a girls' names so prevalent, Diana sounds less dated than Diane, and while the late Princess of Wales and the goddess association lend the name some glamor, it's enough of a familiar classic to fit a tomboy, a bookish kid, a professional adult of any stripe.

Personal experiences with the name Diana: | Edit

My name is Diana and I love the name. It has a great reputation all around. If you should ever come across this name consider Diana as one of your choices.

Nicknames for Diana: | Edit

Di

Meanings and history of the name Diana: | Edit

Diana was the Roman goddess of the moon, corresponding to the Greek goddess Artemis. She was also known by the names Cynthia, Phoebe, and Selene.

Famous real-life people named Diana: | Edit

Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana Ross, singer
Diana Rigg, actress
Diana Dors, actress
Diana Krall, singer
Diana Gabaldon, author of the "Outlander" series
Diana Vreeland, editrix of Vogue
Diana Agron, most famous for being on the TV series 'Glee' and in the movie 'I am number 4'

Diana in song, story & screen: | Edit

Diana Barry, best friend of Anne in the "Anne of Green Gables" series by Lucy Maud Montgomery.
Diana (mythology), ancient Roman goddess of the moon, the hunt, and chastity
"Diana" (Bryan Adams song)
"Diana", a song by The Misfits
"Diana" (song), by Paul Anka, was a No. 1 single in 1957
"Diana", a single by Comus taken from their 1971 album First Utterance
"Dirty Diana", a popular song by Michael Jackson
Diana (album), a 1980 Chic-produced album by Diana Ross
Diana Prince, Wonder Woman's secret identity (DC Comics)