Mona (name)
Mona is a female, and sometimes male, given name and a surname of multiple origins.
Given name
As a given name, Mona can have the following meanings and origins;Language | Source | Meaning | Variant forms | Gender |
Arabic | Variant transliteration of Muna | Wish | Muna, Mouna | Female |
Gaelic/Irish | Anglicized form of Muadhnait | Noble One | Monah, Monna, Monya | Female |
French | Love | |||
Greek | Monos | Solitary, One | Female | |
Ancient Italian | Contraction of the title Madonna | My lady | Female | |
Miwok | Gathered of the seed of a jimson weed. | Male and Female | ||
Nepalese | Bud | Muna | Female | |
Old English | Moon | Female | ||
Persian | مونا | An adjective for God, derives from Mana, means who lasts forever | Female | |
Scottish | Female form of Tormod, derived from Norman | Northman, Viking | Female | |
Sanskrit | Alone, Silence | Female | ||
Teutonic | Loner | Female |
In northern Europe, where the name is much more popular, Mona is interpreted as a diminutive of Monika or, rarely, of Ramona or Simona. It is sometimes associated with the title of Leonardo da Vinci's painting Mona Lisa, although in that context the word Mona is actually a title rather than a name. The word mona also means cute, monkey and doll in Spanish. In Sweden, Mona's name day is May 4.
Mona was a relatively popular given name in the United States in the 1930s, 1950s and 1960s. The highest ranking it ever reached in the US was #230, in 1950.
Notable people
- Mona Barthel, German professional tennis player
- Mona Charen, American columnist and political analyst
- Mona Eltahawy, Egyptian-American activist
- Mona Fandey, Malaysian singer and murderer
- Mona Ghoneim, Egyptian composer
- Mona Grudt, former Miss Universe from Norway
- Mona Hanna-Attisha, pediatrician, public health advocate and Flint Water Crisis whistleblower
- Mona Hatoum, British artist of Palestinian origin
- Mona Hofland, Norwegian actress
- Mona Karim, Lebanese actress
- Mona Mahmudnizhad, Iranian teen executed for membership of the Bahá'í faith
- Mona Marshall, American voice actress
- Mona Rai, final minister of Gour
- Mona Sahlin, Swedish politician
- Mona Siddiqui, British Muslim academic
- Mona Simpson, American novelist of Syrian and German descent
- Mona Tougaard, Danish fashion model
- Mona von Bismarck American socialite and fashion icon
- Mona Zaki, Egyptian actress
Fictional characters
- Mona Bergeron, the main character in the 1985 French film Vagabond
- Mona Dearly, played by Bette Midler in the 2000 film Drowning Mona
- Mona Lott, a recurrent character in the 1929-1949 BBC Radio series It's That Man Again
- Mona Mayfair in several novels by Anne Rice
- Mona McCluskey, main character in television sitcom of the same name
- Mona Melendy in Elizabeth Enright's children's book series "The Melendy Quartet"
- Mona Aamons Monzano in Kurt Vonnegut's novel Cat's Cradle
- Mona Mullins in the TV sitcoms Top of the Heap and Vinnie & Bobby
- Mona Parker, the main character in the animated television series Mona the Vampire and the book of the same name
- Mona Ramsey in the Tales of the City books by Armistead Maupin
- Mona Robinson, mother of Angela Bower in the television series Who's the Boss?
- Mona Sax in the Max Payne franchise
- Mona Simpson, Homer Simpson's estranged mother
- Mona Stevens in the novel ' by Nevil Shute and its film adaptation
- Mona Vanderwaal in the Pretty Little Liars novel series
- Mona, Ross Geller's girlfriend in the television series Friends, played by Bonnie Somerville
- Mona, a young prostitute in the novel Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson
- Mona in the WarioWare series of video games
- Mona, a 2-year old green-skinned girl, main character in the YTV short series Nanalan
- Mona Wilder, a shape-shifter in the TV adaptation of Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
- Mona, an alchemist with green skin from the “Shovel Knight” video games
- Mona Sterling Pike, Roger Sterling's first wife on Mad Men''
Nickname
- Maria Mona Keijzer, Dutch politician
- Monica Mona Mårtenson, Swedish film actress
- Simeona Mona Pasquil, American politician
Surname
Notable people with the surname include:
- Domenico Mona, Italian late-Renaissance painter
- István Móna, Hungarian modern pentathlete and Olympic champion
- Khwezi Mona, South African rugby union player