Where does the name Donna come from?

Answer 1

Donna is Italian for Lady, as in Prima Donna, First lady ( usually applied to Opera stars) It is the polite prefix for a woman. Donna also derives from Madonna, the term colloquially applied to the Virgin Mary in the Motherhood role, usually- hence statues of the Madonna. Lit- My Lady. Madonna by itself does NOT mean Mother but the statue angle is well, fixed in stone. Donna was also a title of nobility, the wife of a Nobleman was always styled Donna, like Lady, of course regular titles of nobillity were used also such as Contessa ( Countess) etc. From the above it will be seen that Donna, like so many Christian female names, is a Marian variant, as are, unusually Victoria, Fatima, Lupita ( from Our Lady of Guadeloupe) and others Some etymologist even see Virginia as a personal name as a Marian variant- from the Virgin angle.