Vanna () is a

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 ...

that first appeared in recorded

European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD 500), the Middle Ages (AD 500 to AD 1500), and the modern era (since AD 1500). The first early ...

circa 1294. The

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

feminine name originated in

Tuscany it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demogra ...

, and is particular to

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...

, Italy. Though similar in pronunciation to the Italian name

Giovanna Giovanna is an Italian feminine first name. It is the feminine counterpart of the masculine Giovanni, which in turn is the Italian form of John; it is thus the Italian equivalent of Jane, Joanna, Jeanne, etc. In Brazil, the feminine name Giovann ...

, and conjectured to be derived from it, Vanna is neither a

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

nor a derivation.

History

The name Vanna first appears in print in ''

La Vita Nuova ''La Vita Nuova'' (; Italian for "The New Life") or ''Vita Nova'' (Latin title) is a text by Dante Alighieri published in 1294. It is an expression of the medieval genre of courtly love in a prosimetrum style, a combination of both prose and ve ...

'', a 1294 book of verse written by

Dante Alighieri Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...

, an

Florentine poet. In one verse, Dante writes that (anthropomorphized)

Love Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of meanings is that the love o ...

itself proclaims that Vanna is ''Primavera'' ("Springtime") and declares that Beatrice's name is "Love". Vanna is also a

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...

unisex name A unisex name (also known as an epicene name, a gender-neutral name or an androgynous name) is a given name that is not gender-specific. Unisex names are common in the English-speaking world, especially in the United States. By contrast, some c ...

( ) meaning "Gold". It originates from ancient

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

. Cambodian names are chosen for various themes such as Nature and positive attributes.

Variations

Vannetta; Vanetta; Vannina; Vanni, similar to the first name Ivanna.

Meanings and usage

The name Vanna is particular to the Tuscan province of Italy where usage originated during the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

and became popular as a feminine first given name. ''Vanna'' is the feminine root form of ''Giovanni'', the Italian cognate of

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

, meaning "God is gracious". An Italian variant that closely resembles the name but was a family name and not in usage as a first or given name is the rare surname ''vanno'', from ancient Latin meaning "she who sifts" (or "assesses") and "merit". Vanna is a Cambodian given name to either females or males and means "golden" and "golden colored". In Hebrew, Vanna means "God's gift". The

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

and

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places * Czech, ...

variation ''Ivanna'' means "God is gracious". Van is short for the Scottish variation

Evan Evan is both an English and Welsh male given name derived from "Iefan", a Welsh form for the name John. In other languages it could be compared to " Ivan", " Ian", and " Juan"; the name John itself is derived from the ancient Hebrew name Yəhô� ...

, meaning "Youth" and "God's grace". The Italian

Name day In Christianity, a name day is a tradition in many countries of Europe and the Americas, among other parts of Christendom. It consists of celebrating a day of the year that is associated with one's baptismal name, which is normatively that of a ...

is July 23, in memory of the Blessed Vanna of Orvieto, who died in 1306.

In popular culture

Literature

* ''

'', by Dante Alighieri (1294). Vanna is a character inspired and named for a Florentine lady who was the best friend of Beatrice, his true love whom he later immortalizes in ''

The Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' ( it, Divina Commedia ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun 1308 and completed in around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature an ...

'' as the pure soul who awaits him at the gates of heaven. * Poetry by Ezra Pound: **

The Alchemist An alchemist is a person who practices alchemy. Alchemist or Alchemyst may also refer to: Books and stories * ''The Alchemist'' (novel), the translated title of a 1988 allegorical novel by Paulo Coelho * ''The Alchemist'' (play), a play by Be ...

. In a chant for the transmutation of metals, Pound invokes: "''Vanna, Mandetta, Viera, Alodetta, Picarda, Manuela / From the red gleam of copper, ..O Queen of Cypress, / Out of Erebus, out of the flat waste of air, lying beneath the world; / Out of the brown leaf-brown colourless / Bring the imperceptible cool."'' **

The Cantos ''The Cantos'' by Ezra Pound is a long, incomplete poem in 120 sections, each of which is a ''canto''. Most of it was written between 1915 and 1962, although much of the early work was abandoned and the early cantos, as finally published, date ...

. The last line of the Canto 93 describes (''"un lume pien' di spiriti"'') "a light full of the spirits f love" and finishes with (''"e Monna Vanna . . . tu mi fai rimembrar"'') ''"and Monna adyVanna, you cause me to remember aradise"''

Theater, television, film

* ''Star Trek'' - Vanna is a character in the original '' Star Trek'' television series episode "

The Cloud Minders "The Cloud Minders" is the twenty-first episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek''. Written by Margaret Armen (based on a story by David Gerrold and Oliver Crawford) and directed by Jud Taylor, i ...

" (1969). * ''Monna Vanna'', by

Maurice Maeterlinck Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck (29 August 1862 – 6 May 1949), also known as Count (or Comte) Maeterlinck from 1932, was a Belgian playwright, poet, and essayist who was Flemish but wrote in French. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in ...

(1902). The play was the first success in the writer's literary career that, in 1911, was honored with the

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

for literature. Ayn Rand referred to ''Monna Vanna'' "...one of the greatest plays in all of world literature". ''Monna Vanna'' played on every important stage in Europe, except in England, where it was prohibited by censors until 1914. The play was produced in Hollywood in 2007 by the

Stella Adler Stella Adler (February 10, 1901 – December 21, 1992) was an American actress and acting teacher.
''

Painting

* ''Monna Vanna'', by

Dante Gabriel Rossetti Gabriel Charles Dante Rossetti (12 May 1828 – 9 April 1882), generally known as Dante Gabriel Rossetti (), was an English poet, illustrator, painter, translator and member of the Rossetti family. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhoo ...

(1866)A new Kind of Beauty: Rossetti's Monna Vanna
/ref> * ''

Dante and Beatrice Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...

'', by

Henry Holiday Henry Holiday (17 June 183915 April 1927) was a British historical genre and landscape painter, stained-glass designer, illustrator, and sculptor. He is part of the Pre-Raphaelite school of art. Life Early years and training Holiday was born ...

(1883) * ''Monna Vanna'', a nude version of the ''Mona Lisa'' painted by

Salaì Gian Giacomo Caprotti da Oreno, better known as Salaì (1480 – January 19, 1524) was an Italian artist and pupil of Leonardo da Vinci from 1490 to 1518. Salaì entered Leonardo's household at the age of ten. He created paintings under the name ...

(Gian Giacomo Caprotti da Oreno), a pupil of

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially res ...

. (''Monna'' was the Renaissance title for "Lady", e.g., Mona Lisa, Monna Vanna).

Music

* '' Monna Vanna'', unfinished opera by Sergei Rachmaninoff * '' Monna Vanna'', opera in 4 acts by

Henry Février Henry Février (2 October 18756 July 1957) was a French composer. Biography Henry Février was born in Paris, France, on 2 October 1875. He married and had a son, the pianist Jacques Février. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire, where his ...

* ''Monna Vanna'', opera in 3 acts by

Emil Ábrányi Emil Ábrányi (22 September 1882 11 February 1970) was a Hungarian composer, conductor, and opera director. Life He was conductor at the Royal Hungarian Opera House from 1911–19, and director there from 1919 to 1920. In 1921, he became th ...

* ''Monna Vanna'', opera in 4 acts by Nicolae Brânzeu * '' Vanna'', a post-hardcore band * '' Vanna'', a Croatian pop singer

People

* Monna (Lady) Vanna, thirteenth century muse and love of Florentine poet Guido Cavalcanti *

Vanna Bonta Vanna Bonta (April 3, 1953 – July 8, 2014) was an Italian-American writer, actress, and inventor. She wrote '' Flight: A Quantum Fiction Novel''. As an actress, Bonta played "Zed's Queen" in ''The Beastmaster''. She performed primarily as a voi ...

(born 1958), American novelist, poet and actress *

Vanna Brosio Vanna Brosio (18 April 1943 – 19 June 2010) was an Italian singer, television personality and journalist. Life and career Born Giovanna Brosio in Turin, the daughter of a well-known antiquarian and the niece of the former NATO Secretary Gen ...

(1943–2010), Italian singer, television personality and journalist * Vanna Rosenberg (born 1973), Swedish singer and actress * Vanna Vanni (1920–1998), Italian film actress * Vanna White (born 1957), American game show hostess

References

*Dante, ''Vita Nuova''. Milano, Garzanti, 1982. *Tobias Eisermann, Cavalcanti oder die Poetik der Negativität, Band 17 in Romanica et Comparatistica: Sprach- und literaturwissenschaftliche Studien, herausgegeben von Richard Baum und Willi Hirdt, Tübingen: Stauffenburg Verlag Brigitte Narr GmbH, 1992; ISBN *AA.VV., ''Antologia della poesia italiana'', ed C.Segre and C. Ossola. Torino, Einaudi, 1999 *Migliorini, B. ''Storia della lingua Italiana''. Firenze, Sansoni, 1987