Mona

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ORIGIN AND HISTORY

Mona has Irish and English roots, “Anglicized from Gaelic name 'Muadhnait,' a feminine diminutive of muadh for 'noble'.” It is possible that there is also a Greek etymological trail as it has been associated with the Greek monos single. In Scandinavian, it is sometimes used as the short form of Monika or Monica. Additionally, there is an identically spelled Arabic version of the name Mona.^[1]

POPULARITY

According to the Social Security Administration, Mona has not been among the 1000 most popular names in the United States since 1986. In that year, it ranked 981st. Mona enjoyed its highest level of popularity during the first three-quarters of the last century. Consistently one of the top 400 names from 1908 to 1927, top 300 names during the 1930s, and after suffering a dip back near 400 in the 1940s, rebounded nicely from 1950 to the late 1960s. By 1977, Mona was at 714th and in the 800s and 900s by the 1980s. Mona vanished from the top 1000 most popular names in the United States by 1987.

FACTS

• Mona Lisa is one of the most popular, mysterious and valuable paintings in the world. Painted by Leonardo da Vinci, its true subject has not been determined. Although clearly of a woman, some speculate that the painting is of da Vinci himself -- perhaps perpetrating some ploy or message for either his contemporaries or future generations.
• Mona was the name of one of Ross's girlfriends in the long-running American situation comedy Friends. She was played by actress Bonnie Somerville.^[1]
• Mona Mayfair is the name of a character in several of novelist Anne Rice's books. She is the 14th witch of the Mayfair clan.

NAMESAKES

• MONA is the acronym for the Nebraska Museum of Art at the University of Nebraska, Kearney.
• Mona, Puerto Rico is a Puerto Rican island 47 miles southwest from Mayagüez and 37 miles southeast of Punta Espada in the Dominican Republic

FAMOUS PERSONS

• Mona Ghoneim (b. 1955) is an Egyptian pianist and composer of contemporary classical music.^[1]
• Mona Hofland (b. 1929) is a Norwegian film actress. She acted primarily in Norwegian films up until 2002. Her last film was entitled Hotel Caesar.

Author: Mike Szimanski

NOTES