Flavia is a feminine

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a ...

of Latin origin. The name is most commonly used in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

( Portuguese: Flávia) and in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

-speaking countries. It is in occasional use in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, where 18 newborn girls were given the name in 2022.

Origin

Originating from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

word "flavus", meaning "golden" or "blonde", Flavia became an

Ancient Roman In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–50 ...

nomen gentilicium The (or simply ) was a hereditary name borne by the peoples of Roman Italy and later by the citizens of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. It was originally the name of one's (family or clan) by patrilineal descent. However, as Rome expan ...

'' for women of the gens Flavia. This

gens In ancient Rome, a gens ( or , ; plural: ''gentes'' ) was a family consisting of individuals who shared the same nomen and who claimed descent from a common ancestor. A branch of a gens was called a ''stirps'' (plural: ''stirpes''). The ''gen ...

gave rise to two imperial dynasties, the

Flavian dynasty The Flavian dynasty ruled the Roman Empire between AD 69 and 96, encompassing the reigns of Vespasian (69–79), and his two sons Titus (79–81) and Domitian (81–96). The Flavians rose to power during the civil war of 69, known ...

of the 1st-century and the

Constantinian dynasty The Constantinian dynasty is an informal name for the ruling family of the Roman Empire from Constantius Chlorus (died 306) to the death of Julian in 363. It is named after its most famous member, Constantine the Great, who became the sole rul ...

of the 2nd and 3rd-centuries, their use of the name (and its masculine counterpart ''

Flavius The gens Flavia was a plebeian family at ancient Rome. Its members are first mentioned during the last three centuries of the Republic. The first of the Flavii to achieve prominence was Marcus Flavius, tribune of the plebs in 327 and 323 BC; ...

'') helped spread its popularity in the ancient world. As a nomen Flavia is the name of

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

and

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism. Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or " canonical ...

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Or ...

s: Flavia Domitilla, wife of Clemens, Flavia Domitilla and Flavia.

Notable people

Flavia Arcaro Flavia Arcaro (June 22, 1876 – April 8, 1937) was an American stage and silent film actress. She is known for her roles in the silent film '' The Naggers on Four Wheels- No Brakes'' (1932) and also in a play ''Dearest Enemy'' (1925). She s ...

(1876–1937), American actress *

Flavia Bujor Flavia Bujor (born 8 August 1988) is a French novelist of Romanian origin. She lived in Romania until the age of two when she moved to Paris, France. She had a passion for stories from an early age. She lives with her parents in Paris. At the yo ...

(born 1988), Romanian-born French novelist * Flavia Cacace (born 1980), Italian dancer * Flavia Eberhard (born 1976), Brazilian free-diver * Flavia Fortunato (born 1964), Italian singer, actress and television presenter * Flávia de Oliveira (born 1983), Brazilian model * Flavia Pansieri (born 1951), Italian former United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Assistant Secretary-General * Flavia Pennetta (born 1982), Italian tennis player *

Flávia Saraiva Flávia Lopes Saraiva (born September 30, 1999) is a Brazilian artistic gymnast. She represented Brazil at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics in Nanjing, the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, and the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. She was part of the te ...

(born 1999), Brazilian artistic gymnast * Flavia Schwarz (born 1986), Swiss footballer * Flavia Tartaglini (born 1985), Italian sport sailor *

Flavia Tumusiime Flavia Tumusiime is a Ugandan actress, radio and television host, voice-over artist, emcee and author of 30 Days of Flavia. She presents a mid-morning radio show (AM-PM Show) on 91.3 Capital FM radio in Kampala, a former co-host of Morning @ ...

(born 1989), Ugandan actress, model, radio and television personality * Flavia Vento (born 1977), Italian model, actress and television presenter

Fictional characters

* Flavia Gemina, a character in ''

The Roman Mysteries ''The Roman Mysteries'' is a series of historical novels for children by Caroline Lawrence. The first book, '' The Thieves of Ostia'', was published in 2001, finishing with '' The Man from Pomegranate Street'', published in 2009, and totaling ...

'' * Princess Flavia, a character in ''

The Prisoner of Zenda ''The Prisoner of Zenda'' is an 1894 adventure novel by Anthony Hope, in which the King of Ruritania is drugged on the eve of his coronation and thus is unable to attend the ceremony. Political forces within the realm are such that, in orde ...

'' and its sequel ''

Rupert of Hentzau ''Rupert of Hentzau'' is a sequel by Anthony Hope to ''The Prisoner of Zenda'', written in 1895 but not published in book form until 1898. The novel was serialized in '' The Pall Mall Magazine'' and '' McClure's Magazine'' from December 1897 t ...

'' * Flavia de Luce, a character in the Alan Bradley mystery series * Flavia, a character from the Latin textbook '' Ecce Romani''

Buildings

* Porto Flavia

References

{{given name Given names derived from colors Italian feminine given names Romanian feminine given names Spanish feminine given names Latin feminine given names