Drusilla is a female
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 ...
deriving from the Roman cognomen
Drusilla.
History
The name has its origin from the
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
cognomen
A ''cognomen'' (; plural ''cognomina''; from ''con-'' "together with" and ''(g)nomen'' "name") was the third name of a citizen of ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. Initially, it was a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became here ...
(and later
praenomen) ''
Drusus
Drusus may refer to:
* Claudius (Tiberius Claudius Drusus) (10 BC–AD 54), Roman emperor from 41 to 54
* Drusus Caesar (AD 8–33), adoptive grandson of Roman emperor Tiberius
* Drusus Julius Caesar (14 BC–AD 23), son of Roman emperor Tiberiu ...
'' which itself derived from the
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
''drosos'' (
dew
Dew is water in the form of droplets that appears on thin, exposed objects in the morning or evening due to condensation.
As the exposed surface cools by radiating its heat, atmospheric moisture condenses at a rate greater than that at wh ...
). The
diminutive "illa" transforms the name into feminine form. The most notable ancient Roman women bearing the name were members of the
Julio-Claudian dynasty, empress
Livia Drusilla
Livia Drusilla (30 January 59 BC – 28 September AD 29) was a Roman empress from 27 BC to AD 14 as the wife of Roman emperor, Emperor Augustus Caesar. She was known as Julia Augusta after her formal Adoption in ancient Rome, adoption into the J ...
(wife of emperor
Augustus
Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...
), princesses
Julia Drusilla the Elder (sister of emperor
Caligula) and
Julia Drusilla the Younger (daughter of Caligula). Women such as the Herodian princess
Drusilla and Mauretanian princess
Drusilla were named in their honor, thus spreading the name across the Roman Empire. As a name appearing in the
Bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...
it was adopted by
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
speakers in the 17th century. The name has never been very popular in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
where, according to Social Security Administration records, from 1880 to 1914 its highest ranking of girls' names was 612 out of 1,000 in 1886.
People
*
Drusilla Modjeska (born 1946), Australian writer and editor
*
Drusilla Wills
Drusilla Wills (14 November 18846 August 1951) was a British stage and film actress. After making her stage debut in 1902, she played character roles in many films, including as a jury member in Alfred Hitchcock's ''Murder!'' (1930).
Selected ...
(1884–1951), British stage and film actress
*
Drusilla Wilson (1815–1908), American temperance leader and Quaker pastor
Fictional characters
*
Drusilla, aka
Wonder Girl
Wonder Girl is the alias of multiple superheroines featured in comic books published by DC Comics. Donna Troy, the original Wonder Girl, was created by Bob Haney and Bruno Premiani and first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #60 (June/July ...
, Wonder Woman's sister in the TV series ''Wonder Woman''
*
Drusilla (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Drusilla, or Dru for short, is a fictional character on the television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and ''Angel'', portrayed by Juliet Landau. Created by Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt, she is introduced as a main antagonist alongside ...
, in the TV series and its spin-off ''Angel''
*
Drusilla Paddock
''The Worst Witch'' is a series of children's books written and illustrated by Jill Murphy. The series are primarily about a girl who attends a witch school and fantasy stories, with eight books published. The first, ''The Worst Witch'', was ...
, in ''The Worst Witch'' children's novel series
* Drusilla Blackthorn, from Cassandra Clare's trilogy ''
The Dark Artifices''
* Drusilla, a succubus in the webcomic ''
Pibgorn''
* Drusilla Clack, a hypocritical Evangelist in Wilkie Collins's novel ''
The Moonstone
''The Moonstone'' (1868) by Wilkie Collins is a 19th-century British epistolary novel. It is an early example of the modern detective novel, and established many of the ground rules of the modern genre. The story was serialised in Charles Di ...
''
* Drusilla Sartoris, in William Faulkner's novel ''
The Unvanquished
''The Unvanquished'' is a 1938 novel by the American author William Faulkner, set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County. It tells the story of the Sartoris family, who first appeared in the novel ''Sartoris'' (or ''Flags in the Dust''). ''The Unv ...
''
* Drusilla Arbuckle, character from ''The Garfield Show''
Drusilla Lamb, Played by Gillian Lewis in the 1960s Tv series 'Mr Rose'.
See also
*
Drizella Tremaine, a character in Disney's 1950 film ''Cinderella''
Notes
{{given name
Latin feminine given names