Donna

This name derives from the Latin “dŏmna,” the syncopated form of the classic Latin “dŏmĭna,” meaning “lady, madam,” which in turn derives from “dŏmŭs > dŏmĭnus,” meaning “home, house.” 1) The feast day is traditionally celebrated on December 28, in memory of the “holy Donna,” a pagan priestess converted to Christianity, one of the martyrs of Nicomedia. 2) Domna Anisimovna Anisimova, known as Blind Domna, was a blind and illiterate but accomplished 19th-century Russian poet. 3) Julia Domna (AD 160–217) was a Roman empress of Arab origin, the second wife of Septimius Severus (reigned 193–211). She was born in Emesa in the Roman province of Syria, into a family of priests of the deity Elagabalus.