Drusilla is a female

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 fa ...

deriving from the Roman cognomen

Drusilla Drusilla is a female given name deriving from the Roman cognomen Drusilla. History The name has its origin from the Latin cognomen (and later praenomen) ''Drusus'' which itself derived from the Greek ''drosos'' (dew). The diminutive "illa" t ...

History

The name has its origin from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the 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 the power of the ...

cognomen (and later

praenomen The ''praenomen'' (; plural: ''praenomina'') was a personal name chosen by the parents of a Roman child. It was first bestowed on the ''dies lustricus'' (day of lustration), the eighth day after the birth of a girl, or the ninth day after the bi ...

) ''

Drusus Drusus may refer to: * Claudius (Tiberius Claudius Drusus) (10 BC–AD 54), Roman emperor from 41 to 54 * Drusus Caesar (AD 8–33), adoptive grandson of Roman emperor Tiberius * Drusus Julius Caesar (14 BC–AD 23), son of Roman emperor Tiberius ...

'' which itself derived from the Greek ''drosos'' (

dew Dew is water in the form of droplets that appears on thin, exposed objects in the morning or evening due to condensation. As the exposed surface cools by radiating its heat, atmospheric moisture condenses at a rate greater than that at whi ...

). The

diminutive A diminutive is a root word that has been modified to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment. A (abbreviated ) is a word-formati ...

"illa" transforms the name into feminine form. The most notable ancient Roman women bearing the name were members of the

Julio-Claudian dynasty , native_name_lang=Latin, coat of arms=Great_Cameo_of_France-removebg.png, image_size=260px, caption= The Great Cameo of France depicting emperors Augustus, Tiberius, Claudius and Nero, type= Ancient Roman dynasty, country= Roman Empire, estates=* ...

, empress

Livia Drusilla Livia Drusilla (30 January 59 BC – 28 September AD 29) was a Roman empress from 27 BC to AD 14 as the wife of Emperor Augustus Caesar. She was known as Julia Augusta after her formal adoption into the Julian family in AD 14. Livia was the ...

(wife of emperor

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...

), princesses Julia Drusilla the Elder (sister of emperor

Caligula Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), better known by his nickname Caligula (), was the third Roman emperor, ruling from 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the popular Roman general Germanicu ...

) and Julia Drusilla the Younger (daughter of Caligula). Women such as the Herodian princess

and Mauretanian princess

were named in their honor, thus spreading the name across the Roman Empire. As a name appearing in the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

it was adopted by

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

speakers in the 17th century. The name has never been very popular 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 primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

where, according to Social Security Administration records, from 1880 to 1914 its highest ranking of girls' names was 612 out of 1,000 in 1886.

People

Drusilla Modjeska Drusilla Modjeska (born 1946) is a contemporary Australian writer and editor. Life Modjeska was born in London and was raised in Hampshire. She spent several years in Papua New Guinea (where she was briefly a student at the University of Pa ...

(born 1946), Australian writer and editor * Drusilla Wills (1884–1951), British stage and film actress *

Drusilla Wilson Drusilla Wilson ( Cox; May 3, 1815 – June 9, 1908) was an American temperance leader and Quakers, Quaker pastor. She was the second president of the Kansas Woman's Christian Temperance Union (W.C.T.U.). Early life Drusilla Cox was born in Belmo ...

(1815–1908), American temperance leader and Quaker pastor

Fictional characters

, aka Wonder Girl, Wonder Woman's sister in the TV series ''Wonder Woman'' * Drusilla (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), in the TV series and its spin-off ''Angel'' * Drusilla Paddock, in ''The Worst Witch'' children's novel series * Drusilla Blackthorn, from Cassandra Clare's trilogy ''

The Dark Artifices ''The Dark Artifices'' is a trilogy written by Cassandra Clare. The series is chronologically the fourth series in ''The Shadowhunter Chronicles'' and a sequel to ''The Mortal Instruments''. It is set in Los Angeles. The series consists of three b ...

'' * Drusilla, a succubus in the webcomic ''

Pibgorn Pibgorn may refer to: * Pibgorn (instrument) The pibgorn is a Welsh species of idioglot reed aerophone. The name translates literally as "pipe-horn". It is also historically known as cornicyll and pib-corn. It utilises a single reed (Welsh: "cal" ...

'' * Drusilla Clack, a hypocritical Evangelist in Wilkie Collins's novel '' The Moonstone'' * Drusilla Sartoris, in William Faulkner's novel '' The Unvanquished'' * Drusilla Arbuckle, character from ''The Garfield Show'' Drusilla Lamb, Played by Gillian Lewis in the 1960s Tv series 'Mr Rose'.

Notes

{{given name Latin feminine given names

History

People

Fictional characters

See also

Notes