VICTORIA - ROMAN GODDESS OF VICTORY

Intaglio in lapis lazuli representing Victoria, 100 - 200 A.D., Tongeren Gallo-Roman museum, Tongres, Source: Wikipedia

Queen Victoria, 1882

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Queen Victoria Statue at Kensington Palace Gardens, 2018

Discovering the history of your name can provide insight into your heritage and background. Many know the source of our birth names - the ethnic origin, who we were named after and perhaps even why. But a little extra research into the origin and meaning of your name, its occurrence and variations throughout the world; and mostly an in-depth look into your own family tree; can provide new appreciation for your handle!

When I was growing up, I didn't quite like my name, "Vicki". I didn't think it was a particularly pretty name; it rhymed too easily with icky and sticky and it seemed, well, kind of boring. When I was in my late teens to early-20s, I came up with all kinds of variations: Vickie, Vicky, Vikki, Vickie-Anne, Vicky-Ann, Victorianna. It was a bit of a trend at the time to mess around with the spelling of your first name.

My mind somewhat changed as I mused over Victor, the male version of my name, which obviously literally meant "victor" or, more basically; winner.  Later I discovered that Victoria was actually the Roman Goddess of Victory and so this knowledge of the meaning of my name started to fill me with steel in times of need.

I also knew that I was named after my Grandmother, who passed away when my Mom was carrying me. In my late 20s, I started the fascinating hobby of genealogy and, interestingly, discovered that my Grandmother had also been named after her Grandmother. Suddenly, my name became even more special to me since it dated back to at least 1839 in my family. As Queen Victoria began her reign in 1837, and her name instantly became a popular baby name for girls, I wonder if this was the source of my Great-Great-Grandmother's name. Because while the name Victoria was consistently used throughout Europe since Roman times; it was not in popular use until Queen Victoria brought it into the limelight. More research is needed to see if my Great-Great-Grandmother was the first Victoria in our family, or if they were one of the more unusual "carriers" of the name before its popularity.

Have you researched your first name? What did you find?

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Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan, 2022