Donna

See also: donna, dónna, dònna, and Dønna

English

Etymology 1

A 19th-century invention from the Italian noun donna; also interpreted as a feminine form of Donald.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈdɒnə/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈdɑnə/, /ˈdänːə/
• Rhymes: -ɒnə

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Proper noun

Donna

1. A female given name from Italian.
   • 1914, Mary McNeil Fenollosa, Ariadne of Allan Water, Burt, published 1914, page 30:

     "Did you ever know a lady named Miss May-rant? With a funny sort of first name, like Donna? Yes, that is it - Miss Donna May-rant."

   • 1958, Ritchie Valens (lyrics and music), “Donna”:

     I had a girl / Donna was her name. / Since she left me / I've never been the same.

2. A city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States, named after postmistress Donna Fletcher.

Usage notes

• Popular in the U.S.A. in the 1940s and the 1950s, and in the U.K. in the 1970s and the 1980s.

Translations

female given name

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 唐娜 (Tángnà)

• Greek: Ντόνα (el) f (Ntóna)
• Japanese: ドナ (Dona)
• Korean: 도나 (Dona)
• Polish: Donna (pl) f
• Russian: До́нна f (Dónna)
• Thai: ดอนนา (dɔɔn-naa)

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Italian Donna.

Proper noun

Donna (plural Donnas)

1. A surname from Italian.

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Donna is the 36246^th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 618 individuals. Donna is most common among White (81.88%) individuals.

Further reading

• Hanks, Patrick, editor (2003), “Donna”, in Dictionary of American Family Names, volume 1, New York City: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 479.

Anagrams

• Danno, Nando, nonad, nonda

Cebuano

Etymology

From English Donna, from Italian donna.

Proper noun

Donna

1. a female given name from English

Italian

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Proper noun

Donna m or f by sense

1. a surname originating as a matronymic

Plautdietsch

Noun

Donna

1. thunder

See also

• German Low German: Donner