Ursula (given name)
Encyclopedia
Ursula is a feminine given name
in several different languages, such as English
, and Irish
. The name is derived from a diminutive
of the Latin
ursa, which means "(she-)bear
". The name has been rather uncommon in the English-speaking world
, although its use has been recently influenced by the Swiss-born actress Ursula Andress
(born 1936).
Given name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
in several different languages, such as English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, and Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
. The name is derived from a diminutive
Diminutive
In language structure, a diminutive, or diminutive form , is a formation of a word used to convey a slight degree of the root meaning, smallness of the object or quality named, encapsulation, intimacy, or endearment...
of the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
ursa, which means "(she-)bear
Bear
Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
". The name has been rather uncommon in the English-speaking world
English-speaking world
The English-speaking world consists of those countries or regions that use the English language to one degree or another. For more information, please see:Lists:* List of countries by English-speaking population...
, although its use has been recently influenced by the Swiss-born actress Ursula Andress
Ursula Andress
Ursula Andress is a Swiss actress and a sex symbol of the 1960s. She is known for her roles as Bond girl Honey Ryder in Dr...
(born 1936).
People with the name
- Ursula AndressUrsula AndressUrsula Andress is a Swiss actress and a sex symbol of the 1960s. She is known for her roles as Bond girl Honey Ryder in Dr...
(born 1936), Swiss actress - Ursula AppolloniUrsula AppolloniUrsula Appolloni was a Canadian Member of Parliament .-Background:Appolloni was born in Ireland as Ursula Carroll, and she served in Britain's Women's Royal Air Force from 1948 to 1950. In 1954 she met her husband when she went to the Italian consulate looking for an Italian tutor...
(1929-1994), Canadian politician - Ursula BagdasarjanzUrsula BagdasarjanzUrsula Bagdasarjanz is a Swiss violinist-Early life:Ursula Bagdasarjanz was born in Winterthur, Switzerland, to a mother who was herself a violinist. The seeds of Ursula's musical talent were sown in the cradle, or, as she herself believes, were bestowed as a gift to accompany her through life...
(born 1934), Swiss violinist - Ursula BloomUrsula Bloom-Biography:Born in Essex, Ursula Bloom was the daughter of the Reverend Harvey Bloom, of whom she wrote a biography entitled Parson Extraordinary, and she also wrote about her great-grandmother, Frances Graver who was of gypsy breeding. Graver became known as The Rose of Norfolk,...
(1892-1984), British novelist - Ursula BuckelUrsula BuckelUrsula Buckel was a German soprano singer, known for singing works of Johann Sebastian Bach.- Professional career :...
(1925-2005), German soprano singer - Ursula BurnsUrsula BurnsUrsula M. Burns serves as chairwoman and CEO of Xerox. She is the first African-American woman CEO to head a Fortune 500 company. She is also the first woman to succeed another woman as head of a Fortune 500 company...
(born 1958), American businesswoman - Ursula Engelen-KeferUrsula Engelen-KeferUrsula Engelen-Kefer held the position of Deputy Chairman of the German Confederation of Trade Unions from 1990 to 2006. She is now a lecturer at the German Federal Employment Agency’s special training school in Schwerin...
(born 1943), German labor leader - Ursula Fanthorpe (1929-2009), British poet
- Ursula FranklinUrsula FranklinUrsula Martius Franklin, , is a Canadian metallurgist, research physicist, author and educator who has taught at the University of Toronto for more than 40 years...
(born 1921), Canadian metallurgist - Ursula GoodenoughUrsula GoodenoughUrsula W. Goodenough is a Professor of Biology at Washington University in St. Louis and author of the best selling book Sacred Depths of Nature...
(born 1943), American biologist and writer - Ursula HaubnerUrsula HaubnerUrsula Haubner is an Austrian politician of the Alliance for the Future of Austria , formerly of the Austrian Freedom Party . Haubner is married with two daughters and five grandchildren...
(born 1945), Austrian politician - Ursula HegiUrsula HegiUrsula Hegi is a German-born American writer.She was born Ursula Koch in 1946 in Düsseldorf, Germany, a city that was heavily bombed during World War II. Her perception growing up was that the war was avoided as a topic of discussion despite its evidence everywhere, and The Holocaust was a...
(born 1946), American author - Ursula Holden-GillUrsula Holden-GillUrsula Holden-Gill is an English actress best known for her role as cancer sufferer Alice Dingle on ITV's Emmerdale....
(born 1974), British actress - Ursula HowellsUrsula HowellsUrsula Howells was an English actress whose elegant presence kept her much in demand for roles in film and television....
(1922-2005), British actress - Ursula JeansUrsula JeansUrsula Jean McMinn was a British actress on film, stage, and television.Ursula Jeans was born in Shimla, British India, to British parents, and brought up and educated in London. She was the youngest of three siblings...
(1906-1973), British actress - Ursula Ledóchowska (1865-1939), Austrian-born Polish religious leader
- Ursula K. Le GuinUrsula K. Le GuinUrsula Kroeber Le Guin is an American author. She has written novels, poetry, children's books, essays, and short stories, notably in fantasy and science fiction...
(born 1929), American author - Ursula von der LeyenUrsula von der LeyenUrsula Gertrud von der Leyen is a German politician of the conservative Christian Democratic Union.Since 30 November 2009, she has served as the Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs in the Second Cabinet Merkel. In the First Cabinet Merkel , she served as Federal Minister of Family...
(born 1958), German politician - Ursula MartinezUrsula MartinezUrsula Martinez is a London-based Anglo-Spanish British writer, performer, and cult cabaret diva noted for her use of nudity and non-actors....
(born 1966), British writer and performer - Ursula MerchantUrsula MerchantUrsula Merchant is a German Las Vegas- based German performance artist, conceptual artist, carpenter. She is probably best known for her series 'Forkin' Hell'.-Early life:...
(born 1932), German performance artist - Ursula MommensUrsula MommensUrsula Frances Elinor Mommens was a British potter. Mommens studied at the Royal College of Art, under William Staite Murray, and later worked with Michael Cardew at Winchcombe Pottery and Wenford Bridge Pottery.She was the daughter of Bernard Darwin and his wife the engraver Elinor Monsell...
(born 1908), British potter - Ursula NiebuhrUrsula NiebuhrUrsula Mary Niebuhr was an American academic and theologian. She was the founder and longtime head of the Department of Religion at Barnard College in New York City.Although known as an American, she was born in Southampton, England...
(1908-1997), American theologian - Ursula PlassnikUrsula PlassnikUrsula Plassnik is an Austrian diplomat and politician. She was Foreign Minister of Austria between October 2004 and December 2008.-Early life and career:...
(born 1956), Austrian politician - Ursula RuckerUrsula RuckerUrsula Rucker is an American spoken word recording artist. Rucker is known for a diverse repertoire, and for utilizing techniques that catch her listeners' attention.-Biography:...
, American recording artist - Ursula von RydingsvardUrsula von RydingsvardUrsula von Rydingsvard born in Deensen, Germany is a sculptor who has been working in Brooklyn, New York for the past 30 years. She received her MFA from Columbia University in 1975 after which time she started to work with cedar, a material through which she has explored a wide range of...
(born 1942), American sculptor - Ursula SoutheilUrsula SoutheilUrsula Southeil , better known as Mother Shipton, was an English soothsayer and prophetess...
(1488-1561), English soothsayer - Ursula StephensUrsula StephensUrsula Mary Stephens is an Australian politician. She was elected to the Australian Senate for New South Wales in November 2001, representing the Australian Labor Party. She began her term on 1 July 2002....
(born 1954), Australian politician - Ursula Moray WilliamsUrsula Moray WilliamsUrsula Moray Williams was an English children's author of nearly 70 books for children. Adventures of the Little Wooden Horse, written while expecting her first child, remained in print throughout her life from its publication in 1939.Her classic stories often involved brave creatures who...
(1911-2006), British author - Ursula Vaughan WilliamsUrsula Vaughan WilliamsUrsula Vaughan Williams, née Joan Ursula Penton Lock was an English poet and author, and biographer of her second husband, the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams.-Biography:...
(1911-2007), British poet - Ursula VernonUrsula VernonUrsula Vernon is a freelance writer, artist and illustrator. She is best known for the webcomic Digger and the children's books Dragonbreath and Nurk: The Strange, Surprising Adventures of a Brave Shrew...
(born 1977), American artist and writer