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 f ...

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 500–1500), and the modern era (since AD 1500). The first early Eu ...

circa 1294. The

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 ...

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

feminine name originated in

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

, and is particular to

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

, Italy.

History

The name Vanna first appears in print in ''

La Vita Nuova ''La Vita Nuova'' (; modern Italian for "The New Life") or ''Vita Nova'' (Latin and medieval Italian 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 ...

'', a 1294 book of verse written by

Dante Alighieri Dante Alighieri (; most likely baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri; – September 14, 1321), widely known mononymously as Dante, was an Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer, and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called ...

, an

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

Love Love is a feeling of strong attraction and emotional attachment (psychology), attachment to a person, animal, or thing. It is expressed in many forms, encompassing a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most su ...

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

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

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 co ...

( ) meaning "Gold". It originates from ancient

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

Cambodian name Cambodian names (or Khmer names; ) are names used or originating in Cambodia which usually consist of two elements including a patronymic, which serves as a common family name for siblings, followed by a given name (i.e. following the Eastern n ...

s 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 ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

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 * Second E ...

, 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) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

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 *Czech (surnam ...

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

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

variation

Evan Evan is a Welsh language, Welsh masculine given name, derived from ''Iefan'', a Welsh form of the name John (name), John. Similar names that share this origin include Euan, Ivan (name), Ivan, Ian, and Juan. "John" itself is derived from the ancie ...

, 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, 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 July 23, in memory of the Blessed Vanna of

Orvieto Orvieto () is a city and ''comune'' in the Province of Terni, southwestern Umbria, Italy, situated on the flat summit of a large butte of volcanic tuff. The city rises dramatically above the almost-vertical faces of tuff cliffs that are compl ...

, 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'' (, ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun and completed around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and one of the greatest wor ...

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

Ezra Pound Ezra Weston Loomis Pound (30 October 1885 – 1 November 1972) was an List of poets from the United States, American poet and critic, a major figure in the early modernist poetry movement, and a Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Ita ...

: **

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 Ben ...

. 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'' is a long modernist poem by Ezra Pound, written in 109 canonical sections in addition to a number of drafts and fragments added as a supplement at the request of the poem's American publisher, James Laughlin. Most of it was wr ...

. 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 ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...

'' 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, ...

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

Maurice Maeterlinck Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck (29 August 1862 – 6 May 1949), also known as Count/Comte Maeterlinck from 1932, was a Belgian playwright, poet, and essayist who was Flemish but wrote in French. He was awarded the 1911 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 ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...

for literature.

Ayn Rand Alice O'Connor (born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum; , 1905March 6, 1982), better known by her pen name Ayn Rand (), was a Russian-born American writer and philosopher. She is known for her fiction and for developing a philosophical system which s ...

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. A member of Yiddish Theater's Adler dynasty, Adler began acting at a young age. She shifted to producing, directing, and teaching, founding the ...

theater, the first time since the 20th century.

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 Brother ...

(1866)A new Kind of Beauty: Rossetti's Monna Vanna
/ref> * '' Dante and Beatrice'', by

Henry Holiday Henry Holiday (17 June 183915 April 1927) was an English Victorian painter of historical genre and landscapes, also a stained-glass designer, illustrator, and sculptor. He was influenced by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, many of whom he knew. ...

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

Salaì Gian Giacomo Caprotti da Oreno, better known as Salaì (1480 – 19 January 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. Salai created paintings under the na ...

(Gian Giacomo Caprotti da Oreno), a pupil 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 ...

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

Music

* ''

Monna Vanna ''Monna Vanna'' () is an unfinished opera by Sergei Rachmaninoff after a play by Maurice Maeterlinck. Rachmaninoff had completed Act I in short vocal score, with piano accompaniment, and then he went to ask for permission to set the text in a ful ...

'', unfinished opera by

Sergei Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and Conducting, conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a compos ...

* ''

'', 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, the son of architect Jules Février. He married and had a son, the pianist Jacques Février. He studied ...

* ''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 to 1919, and director there from 1919 to 1920. In 1921, he became ...

* ''Monna Vanna'', opera in 4 acts by Nicolae Brânzeu * '' Vanna'', a

post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. Like the term " post-punk", the term "post-hardcore" has been applied to a broad conste ...

band * '' Vanna'', a Croatian pop singer

People

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

Guido Cavalcanti Guido Cavalcanti (between 1250 and 1259 – August 1300) was an Italians, Italian poet. He was also a friend of and intellectual influence on Dante Alighieri. Historical background Cavalcanti was born in Florence at a time when the comune was b ...

Vanna Bonta Vanna Marie Bonta (April 3, 1953 – July 8, 2014) was an American writer, actress, and inventor. She was of partial Italian descent. She wrote ''Flight: A Quantum Fiction Novel''. As an actress, Bonta played "Zed's Queen" in ''The Beastmaster''. ...

(1953–2014), 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 Vanna Vanni (7 January 1915 – 6 March 1998) was an Italian film actress. She was in thirty-one films between 1930 and 1943. Life and career Vanni was born in Florence as Maria Angelica Giovanna Pegna. She has been described as a graceful a ...

(1920–1998), Italian film actress *

Vanna White Vanna Marie White (née Rosich; born February 18, 1957) is an American television personality and game-show hostess, best known as the co-host of the game show '' Wheel of Fortune'', a position she has held since 1982. She began her career as a ...

(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

History

Variations

Meanings and usage

In popular culture

Literature

Theater, television, film

Painting

Music

People

References

See also