Official Portrait of Ursula von der Leyen

Ursula 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 f ...

in several languages. The name is derived from a

diminutive A diminutive is a word obtained by modifying a root word 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, and sometimes to belittle s ...

of the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

''ursa'', which means "

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family (biology), family Ursidae (). They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats ...

". In the

English-speaking world The English-speaking world comprises the 88 countries and territories in which English language, English is an official, administrative, or cultural language. In the early 2000s, between one and two billion people spoke English, making it the ...

, the name was most common in the 16th century, but has since become relatively rare, although its use has been influenced since the twentieth century by the Swiss-born actress Ursula Andress (born 1936). It was among the most popular names for newborn girls in Germany from the 1920s to the 1950s. Ulla, Ursel, and Uschi are German short forms of the name. Ursula is a villain in the 1989 Disney animated film '' The Little Mermaid'' and its 2023 live-action remake '' The Little Mermaid''. Other forms of the name include: * Orsolya in Hungarian * Úrsula in Spanish (notice the

acute accent The acute accent (), , is a diacritic used in many modern written languages with alphabets based on the Latin alphabet, Latin, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic, and Greek alphabet, Greek scripts. For the most commonly encountered uses of the accen ...

) * Uršula in Bosnian * Ursule in French * Uršulė in Lithuanian * Urszula in Polish * Uršula / Urša / Urška in Slovenian

People named Ursula or Úrsula

Saint Ursula Ursula (Latin for 'little she-bear') was a Romano-British virgin and martyr possibly of royal origin. She is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church and the Anglican Communion. Her feast day in the pre-1970 G ...

(died 383) *Ursula, theoretical founding ancestor of Haplogroup U (mtDNA) * Ursula of Brandenburg, Duchess of Münsterberg-Oels (1450–1508), a princess of Brandenburg by birth *

Ursula of Brandenburg Ursula, Margravine of Brandenburg (17 October 1488 – 18 September 1510) was a German noblewoman. She was born in Berlin, the daughter of John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg, and Margarethe of Saxony. At age 19, on 16 February 1507 she mar ...

(1488–1510), German noblewoman * Ursula Andress (born 1936), Swiss actress * Ursula Appolloni (1929–1994), Canadian politician * Ursula Bagdasarjanz (born 1934), Swiss violinist * Ursula Bethell, Baroness Westbury (1924–2023), British noblewoman and philanthropist * Ursula Bloom (1892–1984), British novelist * Ursula Bright (1835–1915), British activist for married women's property rights. * Uschi Brüning (born 1947), German jazz and soul singer and songwriter * Ursula Buchfellner (born 1961), German model and actress * Ursula Buckel (1925–2005), German soprano singer *

Ursula Burns Ursula M. Burns (born September 20, 1958) is an American businesswoman. Burns is known for her tenure as the CEO of Xerox from 2009 to 2016. In this role, Burns was the first black woman to lead a Fortune 500 company. She is also the first woma ...

(born 1958), American businesswoman * Ursula Bühler Hedinger (1943–2009),

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' include fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air aircraft such as h ...

pioneer, the first woman from Switzerland to hold a license to fly a jet and first Swiss female flight instructor * Ursula Caberta (born 1950), German politician, critic of the Church of Scientology * Úrsula Corberó (born 1989), Spanish actress * Lady Ursula d'Abo (1916–2017), English socialite * Uschi Digard (born 1948), Swedish former softcore porn star and model * Uschi Disl (born 1970), German biathlete * Ursula Dubosarsky (born 1961), Australian writer * Uschi Elleot (1899–1975), German stage and film actress * Ursula Engelen-Kefer (born 1943), German labor leader * Ursula Eriksson (born 1967), Swedish murderer accused of manslaughter in Britain * Ursula Fanthorpe (1929–2009), British poet * Ursula Franklin (1921–2016), Canadian metallurgist * Uschi Freitag (born 1989), German-Dutch female diver * Ursula Gauthier, French journalist * Ursula Gibson, American physicist * Uschi Glas (born 1944), German actress * Ursula Goodenough (born 1943), American biologist and writer * Ursula Haubner (born 1945), Austrian politician * Ursula Haverbeck (1928–2024), German neo-Nazi activist, author, and convict * Ursula Hayden (born 1966), American professional wrestler, actress, and business woman * Ursula Hegi (born 1946), American author * Ursula Henderson, South Australian politician * Ursula Herrmann (died 1981), German female murder victim * Ursula Kathleen Hicks, Lady Hicks (1896–1985), Irish economist and academic * Ursula Holden-Gill (born 1974), British actress *

Ursula Howells Ursula Howells (17 September 1922 – 16 October 2005) was an English actress whose elegant presence kept her much in demand for roles in film and television. Life and career Howells was born in London, the daughter of composer Herbert Howells, ...

(1922–2005), British actress * Ursula Jeans (1906–1973), British actress * Ursula Karven (born 1964), German actress, writer, model, and yoga instructor * Uschi Keszler (born 1948), German figure skater * Ursula King (born 1938), German scholar of religion * Ursula Koch (born 1941), Swiss politician * Ursula Kübler (1928–2010), Swiss ballerina and actress * Ursula Ledóchowska (1865–1939), Austrian-born Polish religious leader * Ursula Lehr (1930–2022), German academic and politician *

Ursula K. Le Guin Ursula Kroeber Le Guin ( ; Kroeber; October 21, 1929 – January 22, 2018) was an American author. She is best known for her works of speculative fiction, including science fiction works set in her Hainish universe, and the ''Earthsea'' fantas ...

(1929–2018), American author *

Ursula von der Leyen Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen (; ; born 8 October 1958) is a German politician, serving as president of the European Commission since 2019. She served in the Cabinet of Germany, German federal government between 2005 and 2019, holding position ...

(born 1958), German politician and current president of the European Commission * Ursula Martinez (born 1966), British writer and performer * Úrsula Micaela Morata (1628–1703), Spanish nun * Ursula Mommens (1908–2010), British potter * Úrsula Murayama (born 1972) Mexican actress * Uschi Nerke (born 1944), German actress and television presenter * Ursula Niebuhr (1908–1997), American theologian * Uschi Obermaier (born 1946), German model and actress *

Ursula O'Leary Ursula O'Leary (Birmingham, 10 March 1926 – 17 May 1993) was an English stage, radio and television actor.Deaths, The Times, 19 May 1993 O'Leary graduated in stage management from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) in 1948. Her stage ...

(1926–1993), English actress * Ursula Plassnik (born 1956), Austrian politician * Ursula Pole, Baroness Stafford (c. 1504 – 1570), English noblewoman * Ursula Ratasepp (born 1982), Estonian actress * Ursula Reit (1914–1998), German actress *

Ursula Reutner Ursula Reutner (born 6 October 1975 in Bayreuth) is a German linguist. She holds the Chair of Romance Languages and Cultures at the University of Passau. Reutner is an internationally renowned expert in Romance Studies and Intercultural Communi ...

(born 1975), German linguist * Ursula Ridley, Viscountess Ridley (1904–1967), British government official and charity worker * Ursula Rucker, American recording artist * Ursula von Rydingsvard (born 1942), American sculptor * Ursula Schäppi (born 1941), Swiss actress, playwright and comedian * Ursula Schleicher (born 1933), German politician and harpist * Ursula Sillge (born 1946), German sociologist and LGBT activist * Ursula Southeil (1488–1561), English soothsayer * Uschi Steigenberger (1951–2018), German condensed matter physicist * Ursula Stephens (born 1954), Australian politician * Ursula Strozynski (born 1954), German painter and graphic artist * Ursula Vernon (born 1977), American artist and writer * Ursula Vaughan Williams (1911–2007), British poet * Ursula Moray Williams (1911–2006), British author * Ursula Wyss (born 1973), Swiss economist and politician

People named Ursule

Ursule Molinaro Ursule Molinaro (1916, Paris –10 July 2000, New York City) was a prolific novelist, playwright, translator and visual artist, the author of 12 novels, two collections of short prose works, innumerable short stories for literary magazines and doz ...

(1916–2000), French-American writer and translator * Ursule Wibaut (1887–?), French Olympic footballer

Fictional characters

*Ursula the Pig Woman, proprietor of a hot food stall and public lavatory, in the 1614 play '' Bartholomew Fayre: A Comedy'' by

Ben Jonson Benjamin Jonson ( 11 June 1572 – ) was an English playwright, poet and actor. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence on English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for the satire, satirical ...

*Ursula, in the 2004 comic strip '' Brewster Rockit'' *Ursula, in the 2003 video game ''

Fire Emblem is a Video games in Japan, Japanese fantasy tactical role-playing game franchise developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo. First produced and published for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990, the series currently con ...

'' *Ursula, on the 1967 animated television series ''

George of the Jungle ''George of the Jungle'' is an American animated television series produced and created by Jay Ward and Bill Scott, who also created '' The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends''. The character George was inspired by the story of ...

'' and the 1997 live-action film adaptation of the same name *Ursula, in the 1989

Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation studio based in Koganei, Tokyo."Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment". ''Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment''. Retrieved 2020-12-14. It has a strong presence in the animation industry and has exp ...

film ''

Kiki's Delivery Service is a 1989 Japanese Anime, animated fantasy film written, produced, and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, based on Eiko Kadono's 1985 novel ''Kiki's Delivery Service (novel), Kiki's Delivery Service''. Animated by Studio Ghibli, the film stars Minami ...

'' * Ursula, from the 1989

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

film ''The Little Mermaid'' and the 2023 live-action remake of the same name *Ursula, in the 2006 video game '' Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops'' *Ursula, in the play ''

Much Ado About Nothing ''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' (W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. ...

'' by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

*Ursula, in the 1997 animated television series ''Pokémon'' *Ursula, name given to Elizabeth and George Warleggan's daughter in season 4 of ''Poldark'' *Ursula, in the 1996 film '' Set It Off'' *Ursula, from ''

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 ''Xenoblade Chronicles 2'' is a 2017 action role-playing game developed by Monolith Soft and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the third installment in the '' Xenoblade Chronicles'' series and the sixth main entry in the ''X ...

'' *Ursula, from the 2024 manga series '' No\Name'' *Ursula Beresford Todd, in the 2013 novel '' Life After Life'' by Kate Atkinson and the 2022 TV series '' Life After Life'' based on the book *Ursula Brangwen, in the 1915 novel '' The Rainbow'' and the 1920 novel ''

Women in Love ''Women in Love'' is a 1920 novel by English author D. H. Lawrence. It is a sequel to his earlier novel, '' The Rainbow'' (1915), and follows the continuing loves and lives of the Brangwen sisters, Gudrun and Ursula. Gudrun Brangwen, an arti ...

'' by D. H. Lawrence * Ursula Buffay, in the 1990s television sitcoms '' Mad About You'' and ''

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 ...

'' *Ursula Callistis, in the 2017 animated television series ''

Little Witch Academia is a Japanese anime franchise created by Yoh Yoshinari and produced by Trigger. The original short film, directed by Yoshinari and written by Masahiko Otsuka, was released in theaters in March 2013 as part of the Young Animator T ...

'' *Ursula Hanson, a police dispatcher in the 2001 film '' Super Troopers'' *Ursula Hartmann, from the 2006 anime/manga series ''

Strike Witches is a Japanese media mix franchise originally created by Fumikane Shimada via a series of magazine illustration columns. The illustrations have since inspired several official light novel, manga, and anime series and v ...

'' *Úrsula Iguarán, in the 1967 novel ''

One Hundred Years of Solitude ''One Hundred Years of Solitude'' (, ) is a 1967 in literature, 1967 novel by Colombian people, Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez that tells the Family saga, multi-generational story of the Buendía family, whose patriarch, José Arcadio ...

'' by

Gabriel García Márquez Gabriel José García Márquez (; 6 March 1927 – 17 April 2014) was a Colombian writer and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo () or Gabito () throughout Latin America. Considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th centur ...

*Ursula Merkle, in the 1960 musical '' Bye Bye Birdie'' * Úrsula (character), a protagonist of the Mexican sitcom ''Skimo'' * Ursule Mirouët, title character of an 1841 novel by Honoré de Balzac

References

{{given name English feminine given names English-language feminine given names German feminine given names Estonian feminine given names Feminine given names Given names derived from animals