Miranda (given name)
Miranda is a feminine given name of Latin origin, meaning "worthy of admiration", deriving the feminine name from the Latin word mirandus . Although it existed as a surname prior, held by, for example, Giovanni Miranda (fl. 1566) and Juan Carreño de Miranda (born 1614),[ 1] [ 2] [ 3] [ 4] William Shakespeare originated use of the name as a forename for a character in his play The Tempest Uranus , Miranda , was also named after Miranda from the play. The name was more popular in the United States than elsewhere in the Anglosphere , possibly due to its similarity in sound to Amanda , a name also more common for American girls by the 1800s. The name declined in use after 1900 but was revived in the United Kingdom due to the popularity of the 1948 British fantasy film Miranda mermaid named Miranda. The name also increased in usage in the United States when the film began airing on television there in the 1950s. Other media influences also increased usage of the name through the early 2000s. The name has recently declined in usage in the United States due to negative associations with the satirical character Miranda Sings .[ 5]
Usage
The name has been well used in the Anglosphere since the 20th century. Usage of the name in the United States peaked during the 1990s, when it was among the 100 most popular names for American girls. It also peaked in usage in the 1990s or early years of the 21st century in countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Sweden. It has also been well used in other Spanish speaking countries such as Mexico, where it was among the 100 most popular names for Mexican girls in 2020 and 2021.[ 6]
People
Miranda Ayim (born 1988), Canadian basketball playerMiranda Barbour (born 1994), American murdererMiranda Bennett (born 1979), Australian rowerMiranda Bergman (born 1947), American muralistMiranda Bonansea (1926–2019), Italian actress and voice artistMiranda Boonstra (born 1972), Dutch long distance runnerMiranda Brawn , English businesswoman, lawyer, and philanthropistMiranda Campa (1914–1989), Swiss–born Italian actress and voice artistMiranda Carter (born 1965), English biographer and writerMiranda Cheng (born 1979), Taiwanese mathematician and theoretical physicistMiranda Cicognani (born 1936), Italian gymnastMiranda Connell (born 1938), English actressMiranda Cooper (born 1975), English pop singerMiranda Cosgrove (born 1993), American actress and singerMiranda Dear , British-born Australian film and TV producerMiranda Devine (born 1961), Australian columnist and writerMiranda Dodson (born 1980), American musician, singer, and songwriterMiranda Downes (1950–1985), Australian screenwriterMiranda Du (born 1969), Vietnamese–born American judge and lawyerMiranda Easten , New Zealand country singer and songwriterMiranda Fenner (1979–1998), American murder victimMiranda Fricker (born 1966), British philosophy professorMiranda Garrison , American actress, choreographer, and dancerMiranda Giambelli (born 1992), Australian judokaMiranda Gibson , Australian environmental activist and school teacherMiranda Granger (born 1992), American mixed martial artistMiranda Grell (born 1978), English politicianMiranda Grosvenor (1941–2016), American social workerMiranda Harcourt (born 1962), New Zealand actressMiranda Hart (born 1972), English actress and comedianMiranda Hill (1836–1910), English social reformerMiranda Horner , American game designerMiranda July (born 1974), American actress, author, and filmmakerMiranda Kaufmann (born 1982), English educator, historian, and journalistMiranda Kennedy , American journalistMiranda Kerr (born 1983) Australian modelMiranda Krestovnikoff (born 1973), English radio and television presenterMiranda Kwok , Canadian actress, producer, and screenwriterMiranda Lambert (born 1983), American country singer and songwriterMiranda Lee (1945–2021), Australian authorMiranda Leek (born 1993), American archerMiranda Lowe , British museum curatorMiranda Macmillan (1947–2020), English socialite and fashion modelMiranda Maverick (born 1997), American mixed martial artistMiranda Martino (born 1933), Italian actress and singerMiranda Meeks , American illustratorMiranda Melville (born 1989), American race walkerMiranda Merron (born 1969), British sailorMiranda Mikadze (born 1989), Georgian chess playerMiranda Mulholland , Canadian fiddler and singerMiranda Myrat (1906–1994), Greek actressMiranda Nild (born 1997), Thai footballerMiranda Oliveira , Brazilian footballerMiranda Otto (born 1967), Australian actressMiranda Raison (born 1977), English actressMiranda Lee Richards (born 1975), American singer and songwriterMiranda Richardson (born 1958), English actressMiranda Sawyer (born 1967), English author, broadcaster, and journalistMiranda Seymour (born 1948), English biographer, literary critic, and novelistMiranda Stone , Canadian singer and songwriterMiranda Sykes (born 1978), English folk singerMiranda Tapsell (born 1987), Larrakia Aboriginal Australian actressMiranda Tatari (born 1983), Croatian handball playerMiranda Teboh-Ewungkem (born 1974), Cameroonian-American applied mathematicianMiranda Vidak , Croatian fashion designer and modelMiranda Vuolasranta (born 1959), Finnish activistMiranda Wang (born 1994), American tech entrepreneurMiranda Weese , American ballet dancerMiranda Wilson (born 1960), American actress
Fictional characters
Queen Miranda, from the children’s animated TV series Sofia the First
Miranda (The Tempest ) , in the play The Tempest by English writer William ShakespeareMiranda, one of the characters from the Diva Starz toy line
Miranda, the titular character of Miranda
Miranda, the schoolgirl who goes missing in Picnic at Hanging Rock
Miranda (Doctor Who ) , in the British novel series Eighth Doctor Adventures Miranda (W.I.T.C.H. ) , in the American television series W.I.T.C.H. Miranda Bailey , Chief of Surgery and attending general surgeon at Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital in the American television series Grey's Anatomy Miranda Barlow, from the Starz series Black Sails
Miranda Carroll, from 2014 fiction novel Station Eleven Emily St. John Mandel
Miranda Corneille , in the Canadian webcomic User Friendly Miranda Evans , in the British soap opera Doctors Miranda Feigelsteen , in the Canadian television series Mysterious Ways Miranda Goshawk , in the Harry Potter novel series by English author J. K. RowlingMiranda Grey, in the novel The Collector
Miranda Hillard, the ex-wife of the main protagonist in the 1993 movie Mrs. Doubtfire
Miranda Hobbes , in the American television series Sex and the City Miranda Jeffries , in the American film Chances Are Miranda Jones, in the anime series Transformers: Energon
Miranda Jones, from Star Trek The Original Series, Episode Is There No Truth in Beauty?
Miranda Keyes , in the American video game series Halo Miranda Killgallen , in the American television series As Told By Ginger Miranda Lawson , in the Mass Effect Miranda Lotto, in the manga D.Gray-Man
Miranda Lucas Payne, in the American television series House of Payne
Miranda Montgomery , in the American television series All My Children Miranda Navas, a main character from Wonder , book written by R.J. Palacio
Miranda North, in the film Life
Miranda Priestly , in the novel The Devil Wears Prada by American author Lauren WeisbergerMiranda Sanchez , in the American television series Lizzie McGuire Miranda Sings , character created on YouTube by Colleen BallingerMiranda Tate , played by Marion Cotillard in the 2012 film The Dark Knight Rises Miranda Wright , in the American television series Bonkers Miranda Kristofich, character in the video game The Callisto Protocol
References
^ The Surnames of the Maltese Islands- An Etymological Dictionary, Mario Cassar, Book Distributors Ltd, 2003, p. 393
^ Hispanic Surnames and Family History, Lyman D. Platt, Genealogical Publishing Company, 2008, pp. 133, 344
^ Book of Jewish and Crypto-Jewish Surnames, Judith K. Jarvis, Susan L. Levin, Donald N. Yates, CreateSpace, 2018, pp. 17, 49, 64
^ Spanish Surnames, a List- Attachments J1 and J2, General Coding Procedures Manual, 1970 Census, United States Census Bureau, 1971, pp. 16, 25
^ Evans, Cleveland Kent (3 July 2022). "Cleveland Evans: 'Admired' Miranda Poplarity Flows with the Tides" . omaha.com . Omaha World Herald. Retrieved 20 January 2024 .
^ "Popularity for the name Miranda - Behind the Name" .
