Mona is a

female An organism's sex is female ( symbol: ♀) if it produces the ovum (egg cell), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete (sperm cell) during sexual reproduction. A female has larger gametes than a male. Females and ...

, and sometimes

male Male (Planet symbols, symbol: ♂) is the sex of an organism that produces the gamete (sex cell) known as sperm, which fuses with the larger female gamete, or Egg cell, ovum, in the process of fertilisation. A male organism cannot sexual repro ...

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 f ...

and a

surname In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...

of multiple origins.

Given name

As a given name, Mona can have the following meanings and origins; In

northern Europe The northern region of Europe has several definitions. A restrictive definition may describe northern Europe as being roughly north of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, which is about 54th parallel north, 54°N, or may be based on other ge ...

, where the name is much more popular, Mona is interpreted as a diminutive of Monika or, rarely, of Ramona or Simona. It is sometimes associated with the title of

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 1452 - 2 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested o ...

's painting ''

Mona Lisa The ''Mona Lisa'' is a half-length portrait painting by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. Considered an archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, it has been described as "the best known, the most visited, the most written about, ...

'', although in that context the word Mona is actually a title rather than a name. The word mona also means ''cute'', ''monkey'' and ''doll'' 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 countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

. In

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, Mona's

name day In Christianity, a name day is a tradition in many countries of Europe and the Americas, as well as Christian communities elsewhere. It consists of celebrating a day of the year that is associated with one's baptismal name, which is normatively t ...

is May 4. Mona was a relatively popular given name in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in the 1930s, 1950s and 1960s. The highest ranking it ever reached in the US was #230, in 1950.

Notable people

* Mona Achache (born 1981), French-Moroccan film director, actress and screenwriter *

Mona Barthel Mona Barthel (born 11 July 1990) is a German tennis player. On 18 March 2013, she reached her best singles ranking of world No. 23. On 14 September 2015, she peaked at No. 63 in the doubles rankings. Barthel has won four singles and three double ...

(born 1990), German professional tennis player * Mona Beaumont (1927–2007), French-born American painter, printmaker * Mona Berglund Nilsson (born 1942), Swedish politician *

Mona Charen Mona Charen Parker ( ; born February 25, 1957) is an American conservative columnist, journalist, and political commentator. She has written four books. Early life and education Charen was born in New York City and raised in Livingston, New Jer ...

(born 1957), American columnist and political analyst *

Mona Eltahawy Mona Eltahawy (, ; born August 1, 1967) is a freelance Egyptian-American journalist and social commentator based in New York City. She has written essays and op-eds for publications worldwide on Egypt and the Islamic world, on topics including wo ...

(born 1967), Egyptian-American activist * Mona Fandey (1956-2001), Malaysian singer and murderer * Mona Ghoneim (born 1955), Egyptian composer * Mona Gould (1905-1999), Canadian poet and broadcaster * Mona Grudt (born 1971), former Miss Universe from Norway * Mona Hanna-Attisha (born 1976), pediatrician, public health advocate and

Flint Water Crisis The Flint water crisis was a public health crisis from 2014 to 2019 which involved the drinking water for the city of Flint, Michigan, being contaminated with lead and possibly ''Legionella'' bacteria. In April 2014, during a financial crisis, ...

whistleblower *

Mona Hatoum Mona Hatoum (; born 1952) is a Palestinians, British-Palestinian multimedia and installation artist who lives in London. Biography Mona Hatoum was born in 1952 in Beirut, Lebanon, to State of Palestine, Palestinian parents. Although born in Leba ...

(born 1952), British artist of Palestinian origin * Mona Hofland (1929–2010), Norwegian actress * Mona Johannesson (born 1987), Swedish model * Mona Karim, Lebanese actress *

Mona Keijzer Maria Cornelia Gezina "Mona" Keijzer (born 9 October 1968) is a Dutch politician and former civil servant who is the minister of housing and spatial planning in the Schoof cabinet since 2024. A member of the Farmer–Citizen Movement (''BoerBu ...

(born 1968), Dutch politician * Mona Khazinder (born 1959), Saudi art curator and historian *

Mona Mahmudnizhad Mona Mahmudnizhad (, September 10, 1965 – June 18, 1983) was an Iranian Baháʼí who, in 1983, together with nine other Baháʼí women, was sentenced to death and hanged in Shiraz, Iran, on the grounds of being a member of the Baháʼí Fait ...

(1965–1983), Iranian teen executed for membership of the Bahá'í faith *

Mona Marshall Mona Marshall is an American television and voice actress, known for her work in a number of cartoons, anime shows, films and video games. Her major credits include ''South Park'', where she voices many of the female characters on the show, '' .h ...

(born 1947), American voice actress *Mona Faiz Montrage (

Mona 4Reall Mona Faiz Montrage (born 26 June 1992) better known by her stage name as Mona 4Reall or Hajia4Reall is a Ghanaian socialite, model, musician, businesswoman and accused fraudster. Early life and education Hajia4Reall was born and raised in Tam ...

) (born 1993), Ghanaian socialite and musician * Mona Rae Miracle (1919-2014), American author, daughter of writer Berniece Baker Miracle and niece of actress

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe ( ; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 August 4, 1962) was an American actress and model. Known for playing comic "Blonde stereotype#Blonde bombshell, blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex ...

* Mona Nemer (born 1957), Lebanese-Canadian scientist * Mona Rai, final minister of Gour (Sylhet) * Mona Rudo (1880-1930), Seediq leader of the

Musha Incident The Musha Incident (; ), also known as the Wushe Rebellion and several other similar names, began in October 1930 and was the last major uprising against colonial Japanese forces in Japanese Taiwan. In response to long-term oppression by Japanes ...

, an anti-Japanese movement during the period of Taiwan under Japanese rule. *

Mona Sahlin Mona Ingeborg Sahlin (; ; born 9 March 1957) is a Swedes, Swedish politician who was leader of the opposition and leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party from 2007 to 2011. Sahlin was a Parliament of Sweden, Member of Parliament, represen ...

(born 1957), Swedish politician * Mona Siddiqui (born 1963), British Muslim academic * Mona Singh (born 1981), Indian actress, comedian and television presenter *

Mona Shaito Mona Shaito () (born 12 May 1994) is a Lebanese-American fencer, who along with her brother Zain Shaito, represented Lebanon in foil at the 2012 Olympic Games. Shaito was born and raised in Texas and attended Ohio State University, and holds L ...

(born 1994) Lebanese-American fencer * Mona Shourie Kapoor (1964-2012), Indian television and film producer * Mona L. Siegel, American scholar, author, and historian *

Mona Simpson Mona Simpson (née Jandali; June 14, 1957) is an American novelist. She has written six novels and studied English at University of California, Berkeley, and languages and literature at Columbia University. She won a Whiting Award for her first ...

(born 1957), American novelist of Syrian and German descent * Mona Tougaard (born 2002), Danish fashion model *

Mona Van Duyn Mona Jane Van Duyn (May 9, 1921 – December 2, 2004) was an American poet. She was appointed United States Poet Laureate in 1992. Biography Early years Van Duyn was born May 9, 1921, in Waterloo, Iowa."Van Duyn, Mona (1921–2004)." '' Dictio ...

(1921-2004), American poet * Mona von Bismarck (1897–1983) American socialite and fashion icon * Mona Williams (1905–1991), American novelist and poet * Mona Williams (Guyanese writer) (born 1943), Guyanese-New Zealand storyteller and educator * Mona Zaalouk (1947–1995), Egyptian painter, tapestry designer *

Mona Zaki Mona Ali Mohamed Zaki (; born 18 November 1976) is an Egyptian actress and producer. Early life and education Mona Ali Mohamed Zaki was born in Cairo to her parents Ali Mohamed and Tahini Zaki on 18 November 1976. Her father was a university ...

(born 1976), Egyptian actress

Fictional characters

*Mona, an almost 3-year old green-skinned girl, main character in the YTV short series '' Nanalan''' *Mona, a character in the 1986 American fantasy drama film '' The Boy Who Could Fly'' *Mona, an alchemist with green skin from the '' Shovel Knight'' video games *Mona, a character in 2020 video game ''

Genshin Impact ''Genshin Impact'' is a 2020 action role-playing game produced by MiHoYo, MiHoYo/HoYoverse. The game features an anime-style open world environment and an action-based Role-playing battle systems, battle system using Classical element, element ...

'' *Mona Aamons Monzano in Kurt Vonnegut's novel ''

Cat's Cradle ''Cat's Cradle'' is a satirical postmodern novel, with science fiction elements, by American writer Kurt Vonnegut. Vonnegut's fourth novel, it was first published on March 18, 1963, exploring and satirizing issues of science, technology, the p ...

'' *Mona Bergeron, the main character in the 1985 French film '' Vagabond (Sans Toit ni Loi)'' *Mona Dearly, played by Bette Midler in the 2000 film ''

Drowning Mona ''Drowning Mona'' is a 2000 American crime comedy film starring Danny DeVito as Wyatt Rash, a local police chief from Verplanck, New York, who investigates the mysterious death of Mona Dearly (Bette Midler), a spiteful, hard-drinking, loud-mouthe ...

'' *Mona Lott, a recurrent character in the 1929–1949 BBC Radio series ''

It's That Man Again ''It's That Man Again'' (commonly contracted to ''ITMA'') was a BBC radio comedy programme which ran for twelve series from 1939 to 1949. The shows featured Tommy Handley in the central role, a fast-talking figure, around whom the other ch ...

'' * Mona Mars, a character in Raymond Chandler's '' The Big Sleep'' * Mona Mayfair in several novels by Anne Rice * Mona McCluskey, main character in television sitcom of the same name *Mona Melendy in Elizabeth Enright's children's book series "The Melendy Quartet" *Mona Mullins, a character in the TV sitcoms '' Top of the Heap'' and '' Vinnie & Bobby'' * Mona Parker, the main character in the animated television series ''

Mona the Vampire ''Mona the Vampire'' is an animated children's television series based on the children's book of the same name written and illustrated by Sonia Holleyman (itself adapted to the novel series, itself illustrated by Holleyman and written by Hia ...

'' and the book of the same name *Mona Ramsey in the '' Tales of the City'' books by Armistead Maupin *Mona Robinson, mother of Angela Bower in the television series ''

Who's the Boss? ''Who's the Boss?'' is an American sitcom television series created by Martin Cohan and Blake Hunter, that aired on ABC from September 20, 1984, to April 25, 1992, with a total of 196 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons. It was produce ...

'' *Mona Rowan, a character in the 1951 novel ''

Camilla Dickinson ''Camilla Dickinson'' is a 1951 novel by Madeleine L'Engle about the first romance of two teenagers from dysfunctional families in New York City. In 1965, it was republished in slightly different form under the title ''Camilla''. Plot summary F ...

'' *

Mona Sax Mona Sax is a character in the neo-noir media franchise '' Max Payne'', where she represents the femme fatale archetype. Mona is a mysterious contract killer in a dangerous relationship with the series' titular protagonist, the policeman-turned- ...

in the Max Payne franchise * Mona Simpson (''The Simpsons''),

Homer Simpson Homer Jay Simpson is the main protagonist of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' who is part of the titular family. Homer made his television debut in the short " Good Night" on '' The Tracey Ullman Show'' on April 19, ...

's estranged mother * Mona Sterling Pike, Roger Sterling's first wife on ''

Mad Men ''Mad Men'' is an American historical drama, period drama television series created by Matthew Weiner and produced by Lionsgate Television. It ran on cable network AMC (TV channel), AMC from July 19, 2007, to May 17, 2015, with seven seasons ...

'' *Mona Stevens in the novel '' Landfall: A Channel Story'' by

Nevil Shute Nevil Shute Norway (17 January 189912 January 1960) was an English novelist and aeronautical engineer who spent his later years in Australia. He used his full name in his engineering career and Nevil Shute as his pen name to protect his enginee ...

and its film adaptation *Mona Wilder, a shape-shifter in the TV adaptation of ''

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency ''Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency'' is a humorous detective novel by English writer Douglas Adams, published in 1987. It is described by the author on its cover as a "thumping good detective-ghost-horror-who dunnit-time travel-romanti ...

'' * Mona Vanderwaal in the original ''

Pretty Little Liars ''Pretty Little Liars'' is an American Mystery fiction, mystery teen drama television series created by I. Marlene King, which aired on Freeform (TV channel), Freeform from June 8, 2010 to June 27, 2017, based on the novel series Pretty Little L ...

'' book and television series *Mona, Ross Geller's girlfriend in the television series ''

Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane (producer), David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting List of Friends episodes, ten seasons. With an ensemble cast ...

'', played by Bonnie Somerville *Mona, a young prostitute in the novel ''

Mona Lisa Overdrive ''Mona Lisa Overdrive'' is a science fiction novel by American-Canadian writer William Gibson, published in 1988. It is the final novel of the cyberpunk Sprawl trilogy, following ''Neuromancer'' and ''Count Zero'', taking place eight years afte ...

'' by

William Gibson William Ford Gibson (born March 17, 1948) is an American-Canadian speculative fiction writer and essayist widely credited with pioneering the science fiction subgenre known as cyberpunk. Beginning his writing career in the late 1970s, his ear ...

*Mona, a character in the ''

WarioWare is a video game series, a spin-off of the ''Mario'' franchise. It comprises various video games created by Nintendo, starring the character Wario. The series began with '' Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3'', the first game to feature Wario as a p ...

'' series of video games *Mona Franklin, Nadine's mum in ''The Edge of Seventeen''

Nickname

(born 1968), Dutch politician * Mona Mårtenson (1902–1956), Swedish film actress * Mona Pasquil (born 1962), American politician

Surname

As a surname, Mona can have two origins. In

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

and

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 ...

, it is a feminine form of ''Moni'' which is a short form of ''Simone'', the Italian form of Simon. In

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

countries, it is derived from the given name ''Muna'', meaning "unreachable wishes". It is the plural form of the word Munia (مـُـنيه). Notable people with the surname include: * Domenico Mona (1550–1602), Italian late-Renaissance painter * István Móna (1940–2010), Hungarian modern pentathlete and Olympic champion * Khwezi Mona (born 1992), South African rugby union player

References