Euphemia, also spelled Eufemia, is a feminine given name of

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

origin meaning "well spoken", from a combination of the Greek word elements ''eu '', meaning "good", and ''phēmí'', "to speak". Several early Christian saints were called Euphemia. The name was in vogue in the

Anglosphere The Anglosphere, also known as the Anglo-American world, is a Western-led sphere of influence among the Anglophone countries. The core group of this sphere of influence comprises five developed countries that maintain close social, cultura ...

during the 1800s and has traditionally been particularly well-used in

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

Variant forms

Effie Effie is a feminine given name, sometimes a short form (hypocorism) of Efthymia (Greek: Ευθυμία), Eftychia (Greek: Ευτυχία), or Euphemia (Greek: Ευφημία). Notable people with the name include: Women * Effie Bancroft (1840� ...

and Eppie are diminutives. Effemy was an English

vernacular Vernacular is the ordinary, informal, spoken language, spoken form of language, particularly when perceptual dialectology, perceived as having lower social status or less Prestige (sociolinguistics), prestige than standard language, which is mor ...

form. Other diminutives include Euphie, Femie and Phemie. Other Scottish vernacular forms in use were Euphame or Eupheme. Variants in other languages include the Albanian Efimia and Efthimia, Brazilian Portuguese Eufêmia, French Euphémie, Greek Effimia, Italian and Spanish Eufemia, European Portuguese Eufémia, Russian Evfimia, Evfimiya, or Yevfimiya, with diminutives Fima or Fimka, Serbian Jefimija, and Ukrainian Yevfymiya.

Usage

Euphemia, a traditional name in Scotland, was among the top 100 names for newborn girls in Scotland between 1935 and 1947 but then declined in use. It was among the top 1,000 names for newborn girls in the United States at different points between 1880 and 1903 and then declined in use. It is still in occasional use for girls in the United States: sixteen American girls were given the name in 2022.

People

Saints

Euphemia Euphemia (; 'well-spoken f), known as Euphemia the All-praised in the Eastern Orthodox Church, was a virgin martyr, who died for her faith at Chalcedon in 303 AD. According to tradition, Euphemia was martyred for refusing to offer sacrifices t ...

(died 303 CE), Christian martyr and saint

Royalty

Euphemia (empress) Euphemia (Greek: Εὐφημία, died 523 or 524), born Lupicina, was an Empress of the Eastern Roman Empire by marriage to Justin I. Empress Euphemia is credited with the ecclesiastical policies of Justin and she founded a Church of Saint Euph ...

(died 520s), Byzantine Empress * Euphemia of Albania (14th century), Despotess Consort of Albania and Epirus *

Euphemia of Hungary Euphemia of Hungary was a daughter of King Béla I of Hungary and his wife, Richesa (or Adelaide) of Poland (1050s – 11 April 1111). She was the wife of Duke Otto I of Olomouc, the second son the Duke of Bohemia Bretislav I . They were marrie ...

(died 1111), Duchess Consort of Moravia *

Euphemia of Kiev Evfimiya Vladimirovna (, ), known as Euphemia of Kiev ( 1112–died 4 April 1138) was Queen Consort of Hungary by marriage to Coloman, King of Hungary. Euphemia was the daughter of Grand Prince Vladimir II Monomakh of Kiev and his second wife, ...

(died 1139), Queen Consort of Hungary *

Euphemia of Kuyavia Euphemia of Kuyavia (c. 1265 – 18 March 1308) was a Kuyavian princess and Queen consort of Galicia-Volhynia. She was the daughter of Casimir I of Kuyavia by his third wife Euphrosyne, daughter of Casimir I of Opole. Euphemia was sister of Włady ...

(–1308), Kuyavian princess, who was Queen consort of Galicia-Volhynia *

Euphemia of Münsterberg Euphemia of Münsterberg (c. 1385 – 17 November 1447), also known as Euphemia, Countess of Oettingen, was a princess from the Münsterberg (Ziębice) branch of the Piast dynasty, by marriage Countess of Öttingen and sovereign Duchess of Münst ...

(–1447), a princess from the Münsterberg (Ziębice) branch of the Piast dynasty, by marriage Countess of Öttingen and sovereign Duchess of Münsterberg during 1435–1443 * Euphemia of Racibórz (1299/1301–1359), Dominican prioress *

Euphemia of Rügen Euphemia of Rügen (c. 1280 – May 1312) was Queen of Norway as the spouse of Håkon V of Norway. She is famous in history as a literary figure, and known for commissioning translations of romances. Biography Euphemia was most likely the daug ...

(c. 1280–1312), Queen Consort of Norway * Euphemia de Ross (1329–1386), Queen Consort of Scotland *

Euphemia of Sweden Euphemia of Sweden ( Swedish: ''Eufemia Eriksdotter''; 1317 – 16 June 1370) was a Swedish princess. She was Duchess consort of Mecklenburg, heiress of Sweden and of Norway, and mother of King Albert of Sweden. (c. 1338-1412) . Biography E ...

(1317–1370), Duchess Consort of Mecklenburg *

Euphemia of Pomerania Euphemia of Pomerania (c. 1285 – 26 July 1330) was Queen consort of Denmark from 1320 to 1330 as the spouse of King Christopher II. She was the daughter of Bogislaw IV, Duke of Pomerania, and his second spouse, Margarete of Rügen. The perio ...

(1285–1330), Queen Consort of Denmark *

Euphemia of Sicily Euphemia of Sicily (1330–1359) was a Sicilian princess regent. She ruled the Kingdom of Sicily as regent from 1355 until 1357 during the minority reign of her brother, King Frederick the Simple. Life She was the daughter of King Peter II and h ...

(1330–1359), Sicilian princess regent

Nobles

Euphemia Elphinstone Euphemia Elphinstone (also written Euphame or Eupheme; born 11 May 1509) was a mistress of James V of Scotland and the mother of his son Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Orkney, born in 1532, as well as another child who died in childhood. One of her s ...

(1509 – ?), mistress of James V of Scotland and mother of Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Orkney *

Euphemia of Masovia Euphemia of Masovia (; 1395/97Kazimierz Jasiński: ''Rodowód Piastów mazowieckich''. Poznań - Wrocław 1998, p. 121. – before 17 September 1447), was Duchess of Cieszyn by marriage to Bolesław I, Duke of Cieszyn, and regent of the Duchy of C ...

(1395/97–1447), Polish duchess *

Euphemia of Greater Poland Euphemia of Greater Poland () (c. 1230 – 15 February after 1281), was a Polish princess member of the House of Piast from the Greater Poland branch and by marriage was Duchess of Kalisz, Wieluń and Opole-Racibórz. Euphemia was the youngest ...

( – after 1281), wife of Władysław Opolski *

Euphemia I, Countess of Ross Euphemia I (d. 1394 x 1398), also called Euphemia of Ross and Euphemia Ross, and sometimes incorrectly styled ''Euphemia Leslie'' and ''Euphemia Stewart'' (Scottish women in this period did not abandon natal names for married names), was a Countes ...

(died in the 1390s) *

Euphemia II, Countess of Ross Euphemia II, Countess of Ross (also Euphemia Leslie) was the daughter of Alexander Leslie, Earl of Ross and his wife Isabella Stewart, daughter of Robert Stewart, 1st Duke of Albany. She was the only child and heir of Earl Alexander, and succeed ...

(fl. early 15th century) *

Euphemia Stewart, Countess of Strathearn Euphemia Stewart, Countess of Strathearn (died c. 1434) was a medieval Scottish noblewoman, the daughter of David Stewart, Earl Palatine of Strathearn and Caithness. She succeeded to both her father's titles after his death between 1385 and 1389 ...

(died c.1434), medieval Scottish noblewoman *

Euphemia Fedorovna Vsevolozhskaya Euphemia Fedorovna Vsevolozhskaya (Russian: Евфимия (Ефимья) Фёдоровна Всеволожская; 1630–1657), was a Russian noble, the fiancee of Tsar Alexis of Russia. Euphemia was chosen to be the future bride of the tsar ...

(1630–1657), Russian noble

Other people

* Euphemia Eleanor Baker (1880–1968), Australian photographer, and follower and advocate of Baháʼí Faith * Euphemia "Effie" Bakewell (1870–1921), American bookbinder *

Euphemia Cowan Barnett Euphemia Cowan Barnett FLS (1890–1970) was a Scottish botanist known for her research of the flora of Thailand, particularly Fagaceae. Biography Barnett was educated at the High School for Girls in Aberdeen, she then went on to study bot ...

(1890–1970), Scottish botanist * Eufemia "Femi" Benussi (born 1945), Italian actress * Euphemia Vale Blake (1817–1904), American author, critic * Euphemia Blenkinsop, born Catherine (1816–1887), Irish-born American religious sister and teacher, and visitatrix (provincial leader) of the Daughters of Charity in the United States * Euphemia Bridges Bowes (1816–1900), Scottish suffragette and social activist *

Euphemia Cunningham Euphemia Culbert Cunningham OBE BEM (later Baxter; 1892 – 2 August 1989) was a World War One munitions worker at HM Factory, Gretna, who was the first person from Edinburgh to be awarded a Medal of the Order of the British Empire for her brav ...

(1892–1989), Scottish Medal of the Order of the British Empire recipient * Euphemia Davison (1906–1996), Scottish dancer and photographer * Euphemia "Effie" Ellsler (1855–1945), American stage and screen actress * Euphemia "Effie" Gray (1828–1897), Scottish artists' model and writer and wife of

John Everett Millais Sir John Everett Millais, 1st Baronet ( , ; 8 June 1829 – 13 August 1896) was an English painter and illustrator who was one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. He was a child prodigy who, aged eleven, became the youngest s ...

* Euphemia Haynes (1890–1980), American mathematician and educator * Euphemia Johnston (1824–?), Scottish lady's nurse * Euphemia Lamb (1887–1957), English artists' model and wife of painter Henry Lamb * Euphemia Leslie (1508–1570), Scottish prioress * Euphemia McNaught (1901–2002), Canadian impressionist painter *

Euphemia Wilson Pitblado Euphemia Wilson Pitblado (, Wilson; 1849 – June 17, 1928) was a Scottish-born American women's activist, social reformer, and writer. She traveled in Europe, Canada, and in the United States, crossing the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic five times. Pi ...

(1849–1928), Scottish-born American activist, social reformer * Euphemia "Effie" Newbigging Richardson (née Johnstone) (1849–1928), New Zealand landowner and litigant * Euphemia Johnson Richmond (née Guernsey), writing as Effie Johnson and Mrs. E.J. Richmond, (1825–1918), American author * Euphemia Ritchie (1862–1941), Scottish craft entrepreneur * Euphemia Sinclair (1915–2005), British aristocrat and socialite * Euphemia Somerville (1860–1935), Scottish social worker and politician * Euphemia LatiQue "Tika" Sumpter (born 1980), American actress and producer * Euphemia de Walliers (1100s–1257), English nun of Flemish descent * Euphemia Welby (1891–1987), British Women's Royal Naval Service superintendent * Euphemia Mary Goldsborough Willson (1836–1896), American Civil War nurse

As second name

Marcia Euphemia Marcia Euphemia, also known as Aelia Marcia Euphemia (Greek language, Greek: Μαρκία Εύφημία), was the wife of Anthemius, Western Roman Empire, Western Roman Emperor. Family Marcia Euphemia was the only known daughter of Marcian, East ...

, wife of Anthemius, Western Roman Emperor, 5th Century CE * Elsie Euphemia Andrews (1888–1948), New Zealand teacher and community leader * Emilia Isobel Euphemia Rose Clarke (1986–present), British actress, best known for her role as Daenerys Targaryen in the HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones * Nellie Euphemia Coad (1883–1974), New Zealand teacher, community leader, women's advocate, and writer * Mary Euphemia "Effie" Germon (1845–1914), American stage actress * Anna Euphemia Morgan (1874–1935), Australian Aboriginal activist * Jane Euphemia Saxby (1811–1898), British hymn writer * Frances Euphemia Thompson (1896–1992), American artist and art educator of African-American descent

Pen name

*Euphemia Kirk, pen name of

Mary Church Terrell Mary Terrell (born Mary Church; September 23, 1863 – July 24, 1954) was an American civil rights activist, journalist, teacher and one of the first African-American women to earn a college degree. She taught in the Latin Department at the M St ...

(1863–1954), American civil rights activist, journalist, and teacher

Fictional characters

* Euphemia, in the 2022 film adaption of ''

Death on the Nile ''Death on the Nile'' is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 1 November 1937 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company the following year. The UK edition retailed at ...

'' * Euphemia li Britannia, in the anime series ''

Code Geass , often referred to as ''Code Geass'', is a Japanese anime television series produced by Sunrise. It was directed by Gorō Taniguchi and written by Ichirō Ōkouchi, with original character designs by Clamp. Set in an ...

Notes

{{Given name Feminine given names