Agatha, also Agata, is a feminine given name derived from the
Greek feminine name Ἀγάθη (Agáthē; alternative form: ἈγαθήAgathḗ), which is a nominalized form of ἀγαθή (agathḗ), i.e. the feminine form of the adjective ἀγαθός (agathós) "good".[2][3][4]
It was the name of St.
Agatha of Sicily, a third-century
Christianmartyr. Rarely has the name been given in English-speaking countries during recent years.[5] Agatha was last ranked among the top 1,000 names for girls born in the
United States during the 1930s.[6]
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[7] and
Agafa[8] also come. Its masculine version is
Agat.[9] In 1924–1930, the name was included into various Soviet calendars,[10] 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.[11]
Its
diminutives include Agatka (Ага́тка), Aga (А́га), and Gata (Га́та).[8]
Popularity
Agatha has been a rare name in the
Anglosphere. It is most often associated with British mystery author
Agatha Christie. Recent increases in use in the
United States have been associated with its usage for television and movie characters such as Agatha Hannigan, played by popular singer and comic actress
Carol Burnett in the 1982 film musical Annie. The appeal of other fictional characters such as
precognitive Agatha Lively, played by
Samantha Morton in the 2002 film Minority Report, Agatha, an
attractive young woman character played by
Saoirse Ronan in the 2014 film The Grand Budapest Hotel,Agatha Raisin, an amateur detective in the 2016 TV series based on a series of mystery novels by
M.C. Beaton, and
Agatha Harkness, a witch played by
Kathryn Hahn in the 2021 television series WandaVision, have given the name an
avant-garde, attractively
quirky image that has inspired more parents to use the name for their daughters. There were 136 newborn American girls called Agatha in 2021, the most since 1926.[12]
People
Agatha
Agatha of Sicily (died 251), Christian saint sometime spelled as Saint Agata
^
ab"Agaate". Name Doctor. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
^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.
ISBN5-268-00401-8
Н. А. Петровский (N. A. Petrovsky). "Словарь русских личных имён" (Dictionary of Russian First Names). ООО Издательство "АСТ". Москва, 2005.
ISBN5-17-002940-3
[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.
ISBN5-8112-1399-9
[2] А. В. Суперанская (A. V. Superanskaya). "Словарь русских имён" (Dictionary of Russian Names). Издательство Эксмо. Москва, 2005.
ISBN5-699-14090-5
Name list
This page or section lists people that share the same
given name. If an
internal link led you here, you may wish to change that link to point directly to the intended article.
Agatha, also Agata, is a feminine given name derived from the
Greek feminine name Ἀγάθη (Agáthē; alternative form: ἈγαθήAgathḗ), which is a nominalized form of ἀγαθή (agathḗ), i.e. the feminine form of the adjective ἀγαθός (agathós) "good".[2][3][4]
It was the name of St.
Agatha of Sicily, a third-century
Christianmartyr. Rarely has the name been given in English-speaking countries during recent years.[5] Agatha was last ranked among the top 1,000 names for girls born in the
United States during the 1930s.[6]
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[7] and
Agafa[8] also come. Its masculine version is
Agat.[9] In 1924–1930, the name was included into various Soviet calendars,[10] 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.[11]
Its
diminutives include Agatka (Ага́тка), Aga (А́га), and Gata (Га́та).[8]
Popularity
Agatha has been a rare name in the
Anglosphere. It is most often associated with British mystery author
Agatha Christie. Recent increases in use in the
United States have been associated with its usage for television and movie characters such as Agatha Hannigan, played by popular singer and comic actress
Carol Burnett in the 1982 film musical Annie. The appeal of other fictional characters such as
precognitive Agatha Lively, played by
Samantha Morton in the 2002 film Minority Report, Agatha, an
attractive young woman character played by
Saoirse Ronan in the 2014 film The Grand Budapest Hotel,Agatha Raisin, an amateur detective in the 2016 TV series based on a series of mystery novels by
M.C. Beaton, and
Agatha Harkness, a witch played by
Kathryn Hahn in the 2021 television series WandaVision, have given the name an
avant-garde, attractively
quirky image that has inspired more parents to use the name for their daughters. There were 136 newborn American girls called Agatha in 2021, the most since 1926.[12]
People
Agatha
Agatha of Sicily (died 251), Christian saint sometime spelled as Saint Agata
^
ab"Agaate". Name Doctor. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
^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.
ISBN5-268-00401-8
Н. А. Петровский (N. A. Petrovsky). "Словарь русских личных имён" (Dictionary of Russian First Names). ООО Издательство "АСТ". Москва, 2005.
ISBN5-17-002940-3
[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.
ISBN5-8112-1399-9
[2] А. В. Суперанская (A. V. Superanskaya). "Словарь русских имён" (Dictionary of Russian Names). Издательство Эксмо. Москва, 2005.
ISBN5-699-14090-5
Name list
This page or section lists people that share the same
given name. If an
internal link led you here, you may wish to change that link to point directly to the intended article.