Anastasia (from Greek: Ἀναστασία, romanizedAnastasía) is a feminine given name of Greek origin, derived from the Greek word anástasis (ἀνάστασις), meaning "resurrection". It is a popular name in Eastern Europe.

Anastasia
PronunciationEnglish: /ˌænəˈstʒə/, UK also /-ziə/
Greek: [anastaˈsi.a]
Russian: [ɐnəstɐˈsʲijə]
Ukrainian: [ɐnɐstɐˈs⁽ʲ⁾ijɐ]
GenderFemale
Language(s)Greek: Αναστασία
Russian: Анастасия
Ukrainian: Анастасія
Serbian Cyrillic: Анастасија
Bulgarian: Анастасия
Origin
Meaning"Resurrection"
Region of originGreece
Other names
Short form(s)Asya, Anya, Nastya, Sia, Stacey, Stacie, Stacy, Stasia, Tasia, Tacy, Anna, Ann, Anne, Annie
Related namesAnastacia, Annastasia, Anastasiya, Anastasya
See alsoAthanasia [el]

Origin

edit

The name Anastasia originated during the early days of Christianity and was given to many Greek girls born in December and around Easter.[1] It was established as the female form (Greek: Ἀναστασία) of the male name Anastasius (Greek: Ἀναστάσιος Anastasios pronounced [anaˈstasi.os]),[2] and has the meaning of "she/he of the resurrection".[2][3] It is the name of several early saints; including Anastasia of Sirmium, a central saint from the 3rd century who is commemorated during the first Mass on Christmas Dawn each year according to the traditional calendar of the Catholic Church[1] and on December 22 according to the Eastern Orthodox Church. Slavic diminutives include Nastya,[2] Nastia or Nastja (Serbian, Slovenian) as well as various hypocoristics: Nastenka, Nastyusha, Nastyona, Nastasia, Nastunja.

Popularity

edit

Anastasia is a very popular name for girls, especially in Europe, where most names have Christian associations.[2] Anastasia was the most popular name for girls for many years in Russia until 2008, when it was surpassed by the name Sophia.[4][5] It remains one of the top ten names for Russian girls,[4][5] as well as for girls in Belarus,[3] Moldova,[3] Serbia,[6] Georgia,[7] and Montenegro.[8]

Given name

edit
 
1914 photo of Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia, youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II, approximately age 13.

Fictional characters with the given name

edit

See also

edit

Citations

edit

References

edit
  • "Anastasia". United Kingdom: Oxford University. 16 September 2006. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  • "Nicholas and Quince are the most popular names" (in Serbian). Serbia: Stil.com. 1 February 2014. Archived from the original on 27 October 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  • "In Brief – City Parking Fines Net 700,000 Rubles in March". Russia: The Moscow News. 4 October 2008. Archived from the original on 11 March 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  • "Pre-Revolutionary Names Making a Comeback in Russia". Russia: The Moscow Times. 27 January 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  • "St. Anastasia". United Kingdom: Newadvent.com. 5 July 2012. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  • "Sara and Luke the most popular names in Podgorica" (in Montenegrin). Montenegro: Vijesti.com. 27 February 2013. Archived from the original on 4 May 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  • "Top baby names from around the world". Australia: Essentialbaby.com. 9 March 2014. Archived from the original on 26 October 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  • "Top dozens of the most popular names" (in Georgian). Georgia: Ambebi.com. 30 January 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2014.