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Ursula (name)

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Ursula
Saint Ursula and Her Maidens by Niccolò di Pietro, circa 1410.
Pronunciation/ˈɜːrsjʊlə/
German: [ˈʊʁzula]
GenderFeminine
Language(s)German, English
Origin
Language(s)Latin
Word/nameursa
Meaning"little bear"
Other names
Variant form(s)Uschi, Usch, Urs
A person dressed up as the villainous sea witch Ursula from The Little Mermaid at Disney's D23 Expo in 2015

Ursula is a feminine given name in several languages. The name is derived from a diminutive of the Latin ursa, which means "bear". The name was best used in the Anglosphere in the 16th century but has since been rather uncommon in English-speaking countries, although its use has been influenced since the twentieth century by the Swiss-born actress Ursula Andress (born 1936).[1] It was among the most popular names for newborn girls in Germany from the 1920s to the 1950s.[2][better source needed] Ulla, Ursel, and Uschi are German short forms of the name.

Ursula is a villain in the 1989 Disney animated film The Little Mermaid and its 2023 live-action remake The Little Mermaid.[3][4]

Other forms of the name include:

People named Ursula or Úrsula

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People named Ursule

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Fictional characters

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References

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  1. ^ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006), A Dictionary of First Names, Oxford Paperback Reference (2nd ed.), Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 268, ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1
  2. ^ "Vornamen-Hitlisten". beliebte-Vornamen.de (in German). Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  3. ^ "Ursula - Baby Name Meaning, Origin, and Popularity".
  4. ^ "Baby Name Ursula: Villain or Saint?". 28 October 2023.