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Name

Minerva

/mih-NER-vah/ FeminineLatin

Meaning

Minerva is a feminine name of Latin origin meaning “the goddess of wisdom; linked to the word for mind”.

Minerva was Rome's goddess of wisdom and the crafts, her name connected by scholars to an ancient root meaning mind or thought. Harry Potter's formidable Professor McGonagall introduced the name to millions, and the nickname Minnie gives its four stately syllables a soft landing.

Ranked in the US girls' top 1000 until the 1970s; now a quiet revival candidate.

At a glance

Origin
Latin
Gender
Feminine
Pronounced
/mih-NER-vah/
Themes
Wisdom

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Questions

  • Minerva is a feminine name of Latin origin meaning “the goddess of wisdom; linked to the word for mind”. Minerva was Rome's goddess of wisdom and the crafts, her name connected by scholars to an ancient root meaning mind or thought.

  • Minerva is traditionally a feminine (girl) name. Ranked in the US girls' top 1000 until the 1970s; now a quiet revival candidate.

  • The name Minerva comes from Latin. Minerva was Rome's goddess of wisdom and the crafts, her name connected by scholars to an ancient root meaning mind or thought. Harry Potter's formidable Professor McGonagall introduced the name to millions, and the nickname Minnie gives its four stately syllables a soft landing.

  • Minerva is pronounced mih-NER-vah.

More names that mean wisdom

Names that share this meaning.

  1. Abigail FeminineHebrew“my father is joy”
  2. Akili UnisexSwahili“intellect, wisdom”
  3. Alfred MasculineOld English“elf counsel”
  4. Ananda MasculineSanskrit“bliss”
  5. Athena FeminineGreek“the goddess of wisdom”
  6. Cato MasculineLatin“wise, shrewd”