Amanda Explained
| Amanda |
| Gender: | Female |
| Meaning: | “she who must (or is fit to) be loved”; "beautiful”; "deserving to be loved"; "beloved". |
| Language origin: | Latin |
Amanda is a Latin feminine gerundive (i.e. verbal adjective) name meaning, literally, “she who must (or is fit to) be loved”. Other translations, with similar meaning, could be "deserving to be loved," "worthy of love," or "loved very much by everyone."[1] [2] Its diminutive form includes Mandy, Manda and Amy. It is common in countries where Germanic and Romance languages are spoken.
"Amanda" comes from ama- (the stem of the Latin verb amare, "to love") plus the feminine nominative singular gerundive ending (-nda). Other names, especially female names, were derived from this verb form, such as “Miranda”.
The name "Amanda" occasionally appears in Late Antiquity, such as the Amanda who was the 'wife of the ex-advocate and ex-provincial governor Aper (q.v.); she cared for his estates and raised their children after he adopted the monastic life: "curat illa saeculi curas, ne tu cures”' [Paul. Nol. Epist. 44.4].[3]
In England the name "Amanda" first appears in 1212 on a birth record from Warwickshire, England, and five centuries later the name was popularized by poets and playwrights.[4] In the United States, "Amanda" slowly became more prominent from the 1930s to the 1960s, ranking among the top 200 baby names.[4]
From 1976 to 1995, "Amanda" ranked in the ten most popular female baby names in the United States. The name was most popular from 1978 to 1992, when it ranked in the top four. At its prime, in 1980, it was the second most popular. In 2009, "Amanda" ranked number 166. It was ranked among the top ten names given to girls born in Puerto Rico in 2009. The name has also recently been popular in Sweden, where it ranked twentieth for girls born in 2009, down five places from the year 2008. It is also popular in Swedish-speaking families in Finland, where it ranked among the top ten names for girls born to this demographic group.
People
A
- Amanda Aasa (born 1996), Swedish singer and songwriter
- Amanda Abizaid, American Lebanese model, actress, and singer/songwriter
- Amanda Abbington (born 1974), English actress
- Amanda Adams (born 1976), American archaeologist and author
- Amanda Aday (born 1981), American actress
- Amanda L. Aikens (1833–1892), American editor and philanthropist
- Amanda Alcantara, Dominican–American activist and writer
- Amanda Aldridge (1866–1956), English opera singer and teacher
- Amanda Alfaro (born 2001), Costa Rican swimmer
- Amanda Allen (born 2005), Canadian soccer player
- Amanda Ammar (born 1986), Canadian skier
- Amanda Andradóttir (born 2003), Icelandic soccer player
- Amanda Anisimova (born 2001), Russian–American tennis player
- Amanda Annan (born 1982), Ghanaian–English actress, entrepreneur, model and writer
- Amanda Ansell (born 1976), English artist
- Amanda Araújo (born 1990), Brazilian rugby player
- Amanda Asay (1988–2022), Canadian baseball and ice hockey player
- Amanda Auchter (born 1977), American professor and writer
- Amanda Austin (1859–1917), American painter and sculptor
- Amanda Ayala (born 1997), American singer, songwriter and musician
B
- Amanda Baker (born 1979), American actress
- Amanda Balionis (born 1985), American sports journalist
- Amanda Balon (born 1997), American actress and dancer
- Amanda Banton (born 1970), Australian lawyer
- Amanda Barnes (born 1966), British Embroidery Artist
- Amanda Barr (born 1982), English soccer player
- Amanda Barrie (born 1935), English actress
- Amanda Barusch, New Zealand academic
- Amanda Basica (born 1978), American tennis player
- Amanda Bateman (born 1996), Australian rower
- Amanda Batten (born 1979), American politician
- Amanda Bauer (born 1979), American astronomer
- Amanda Bayer, American economist
- Amanda Beard (born 1981), American swimmer
- Amanda Bearse (born 1958), American actress, comedian and director
- Amanda Bell (born 1988), American mixed martial artist
- Amanda Bennett (born 1952), American author and journalist
- Amanda Berenguer (1921–2010), Uruguayan poet
- Amanda Bergman, Swedish musician, singer and songwriter
- Amanda Billing (born 1976), New Zealand actress
- Amanda Billings (born 1986), Canadian figure skater
- Amanda Bingson (born 1990), American track and field athlete
- Amanda Black, New Zealand soil chemist
- Amanda Black (born 1993), South African singer and songwriter
- Amanda Black, Northern Irish epidemiologist
- Amanda Blain (born 1980), Canadian Internet personality and web developer
- Amanda Blake (1929–1989), American actress
- Amanda Blank (born 1983), American rapper
- Amanda Bloor (born 1962), English Anglican priest
- Amanda Blumenherst (born 1986), American golfer
- Amanda Borden (born 1977), American gymnast
- Amanda Bouldin (born 1984), American politician
- Amanda Boulier (born 1993), American ice hockey player
- Amanda Boxer (born 1948), English actress
- Amanda Boyden, American novelist
- Amanda Bradford, American marine mammal biologist
- Amanda Brailsford, American judge
- Amanda Bresnan (born 1971), Australian politician
- Amanda Broderick (born 1971), English academic and administrator
- Amanda Brooks (born 1981), American actress
- Amanda Brotchie, Australian director and writer
- Amanda Browder (born 1976), American installation artist
- Amanda Brugel (born 1978), Canadian actress
- Amanda Brundage (born 1991), American mixed martial artist
- Amanda Brunker (born 1974), Irish columnist, journalist and novelist
- Amanda Budden (born 1994), Irish soccer player
- Amanda Burden (born 1944), American urban planner
- Amanda Burton (born 1956), Northern Irish actress
- Amanda Busick (born 1986), American sports reporter
- Amanda Junquera Butler (1898–1986), Spanish writer
- Amanda Butler (born 1972), American basketball coach and player
- Amanda Bynes (born 1986), American actress
- Amanda Byram (born 1973), Irish television presenter
C
- Amanda Cajander (1827–1871), Finnish deaconess
- Amanda Cappelletti (born 1986), American lawyer and politician
- Amanda Carpenter (born 1982), American author and political commentator
- Amanda Mildred Carr (born 1990), Thai BMX cyclist
- Amanda Carter (born 1964), Australian wheelchair basketball player
- Amanda Cassatt (born 1991), American entrepreneur and journalist
- Amanda Castro (1962–2010), Honduran poet
- Amanda Cerny (born 1991), American internet personality and model
- Amanda Chase (born 1969), American politician
- Amanda Chetwynd, British mathematician and statistician
- Amanda Chidester (born 1990), American softball player
- Amanda Chudoba (born 1990), Canadian trap shooter
- Amanda Cinalli (born 1986), American soccer player
- Amanda Clapham (born 1990), English actress
- Amanda Clayton (born 1981), American actress
- Amanda Clement (1888–1971), American baseball umpire
- Amanda Coetzer (born 1971), South African tennis player
- Amanda Coker (born 1992), American cyclist
- Amanda Collamore, American politician
- Amanda Coneo (born 1996), Colombian volleyball player
- Amanda Congdon (born 1981), American video blogger
- Amanda Conner, American comics artist
- Amanda Conway (born 1997), American ice hockey player
- Amanda Coogan (born 1971), Irish performance artist
- Amanda Lindsey Cook (born 1984), Canadian christian musician
- Amanda Cooper (born 1991), American mixed martial artist
- Amanda Coplin, American novelist
- Amanda Cottreau, Canadian singer and songwriter
- Amanda Crew (born 1986), Canadian actress
- Amanda Cromwell (born 1970), American soccer coach and player
- Amanda Curtis (born 1979), American politician
D
- Amanda DaCosta (born 1989), American–born Portuguese soccer player
- Amanda Demme, American photographer
- Amanda Díaz, Puerto Rican beauty queen
- Amanda Dobbs (born 1993), American figure skater
- Amanda Doman (born 1977), Australian softball player
- Amanda Donohoe (born 1962), English actress
- Amanda Minnie Douglas (1831–1916), American writer
- Amanda Dowe (born 1991), American basketball player
- Amanda Downum (born 1979), American author
- Amanda Drew (born 1969), English actress
- Amanda Dudamel (born 1999), Venezuelan beauty queen, fashion designer, model and philanthropist
- Amanda Ruter Dufour (1822–1899), American poet
E
F
- Amanda Farías (born 1989), American politician
- Amanda Farrugia (born 1985), Australian rules footballer
- Amanda Favier (born 1979), French violinist
- Amanda Fazio (born 1954), Australian politician
- Amanda Ferguson (born 1967), English fencer
- Amanda Figueras (born 1978), Spanish journalist
- Amanda Filipacchi (born 1967), French–American novelist
- Amanda Fink (born 1986), American tennis player
- Amanda Fisher, English cell biologist
- Amanda Folsom (born 1979), American mathematician
- Amanda Fondell (born 1994), Swedish singer
- Amanda Fortier (born 1978), Canadian skier
- Amanda Fosang, Australian biomedical researcher
- Amanda Freitag (born 1972), American author and chef
- Amanda Fuller (born 1984), American actress
G
- Amanda Gailey (born 1976), American academic and political activist
- Amanda Garner (born 1985), Australian ballroom dancer
- Amanda Gates (born 1986), Canadian curler
- Amanda Gefter (born 1980), American writer
- Amanda Ghost (born 1974), English music executive, singer and songwriter
- Amanda Glover (born 1970), English beach volleyball player
- Amanda González (born 1979), Spanish field hockey player
- Amanda Goodman, American actress and voice artist
- Amanda Gorman (born 1998), American activist and poet
- Amanda Grace, American singer and songwriter
- Amanda Grahame (born 1979), Australian tennis player
- Amanda Griffin (born 1979), Filipino–English model and television presenter
- Amanda Grosserode (born 1975), American politician
- Amanda Grunfeld (born 1967), English tennis player
- Amanda Gutierres (born 2001), Brazilian soccer player
H
- Amanda Hale (born 1982), British actress
- Amanda K. Hale, Canadian writer
- Amanda Hamilton (born 1974), Scottish broadcaster, businesswoman and nutritionist
- Amanda Hardy (born 1971), Australian badminton player
- Amanda Harkimo (born 1990), Finnish disk jockey
- Amanda Harlech (born 1958), English creative consultant and writer
- Amanda Bartlett Harris (1824–1917), American author and literary critic
- Amanda Harris (born 1963), Australian–born English actress
- Amanda Harrison (born 1974), Australian actress and singer
- Amanda Havard (born 1986), American writer
- Amanda Hearst (born 1984), American fashion model and socialite
- Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger, American politician
- Amanda Hendrick (born 1990), Scottish model
- Amanda Hendrix (born 1968), American planetary scientist
- Amanda Heng (born 1951), Singaporean artist and curator
- Amanda Herbert (born 1943), British cytopathologist and histopathologist
- Amanda Hess, American journalist
- Amanda Hesser (born 1972), American author and writer
- Amanda Hickey (1838–1894), American surgeon
- Amanda Hillwood (born 1957), English actress
- Amanda Hocking (born 1984), American writer
- Amanda Hodgkinson (born 1965), English novelist
- Amanda Holden (born 1971), English actress and singer
- Amanda Holiday (born 1964), Sierra Leonean–English artist and poet
- Amanda Hollis-Brusky, American scholar
- Amanda Hopmans (born 1976), Dutch tennis player
- Amanda Houston (born 1980), English weather presenter
- Amanda Howard (born 1973), Australian author and writer
- Amanda Howe, British doctor
- Amanda Husberg (1940–2021), American composer
I
J
- Amanda Jackson (born 1985), Armenian–American basketball player
- Amanda James (born 1960), British swimmer
- Amanda Jamieson (born 1997), New Zealand racing cyclist
- Amanda Jelks (born 1986), American actress
- Amanda Jenssen (born 1988), Swedish singer and songwriter
- Amanda Jetter (born 1994), American artistic gymnast
- Amanda Johnston (born 1977), American poet
- Amanda Joy, Canadian actress, comedian, producer and writer
K
- Amanda Keen (born 1978), English tennis player
- Amanda Keller (born 1962), Australian actress, comedian, journalist, radio and television personality
- Amanda Kelly (born 1982), Scottish kickboxer and mixed martial artist
- Amanda Kerfstedt (1835–1920), Swedish novelist and playwright
- Amanda Kernell (born 1986), Swedish director and screenwriter
- Amanda Kessel (born 1991), American ice hockey player
- Amanda Kloots (born 1982), American actress, dancer and fitness instructor
- Amanda Knox (born 1987), American woman exonerated in Italy for the murder of Meredith Kercher
- Amanda Kolczynski (born 1993), French handballer
- Amanda Kotaja (born 1995), Finnish Paralympic athlete
- Amanda Kotze (born 1986), South African sprinter
- Amanda Kozak (born 1984), American beauty queen
- Amanda Kramer (born 1961), American composer and touring musician
- Amanda Kurtović (born 1991), Norwegian handballer
L
- Amanda Labarca (1886–1975), Chilean diplomat, educator and writer
- Amanda Laine (born 1992), Canadian model
- Amanda Lamb (born 1972), English model, property expert and television presenter
- Amanda Lang (born 1970), Canadian business journalist
- Amanda Langlet (born 1967), French actress
- Amanda Lassiter (born 1979), American basketball player
- Amanda Lathlin (born 1976), Canadian politician
- Amanda Lawrence (born 1971), English actress
- Amanda Lear (born 1939), French actress, model, painter, singer, songwriter and television presenter
- Amanda Leduc, Canadian writer
- Amanda Leighton (born 1993), American actress
- Amanda Lemos (born 1987), Brazilian mixed martial artist
- Amanda Leveille (born 1994), Canadian ice hockey player
- Amanda Levens (born 1979), American basketball coach
- Amanda Lightfoot (born 1987), English biathlete
- Amanda Lim (born 1993), Singaporean freestyle swimmer
- Amanda Lind (born 1980), Swedish politician
- Amanda Lindhout (born 1981), Canadian humanitarian, journalist and public speaker
- Amanda Linnér (born 2001), Swedish golfer
- Amanda Lipitz (born 1980), American director
- Amanda Locke (born 1989), American softball player
- Amanda Lohrey (born 1947), Australian novelist and writer
- Amanda Lorenz (born 1997), American softball player
- Amanda Lovelace (born 1991), American poet
M
N
O
P
R
- Amanda Randolph (1896–1967), American actress, musician and singer
- Amanda Ratnayake (born 1990), Sri Lankan beauty queen and businesswoman
- Amanda Rawles (born 2000), Indonesian actress, model and singer
- Amanda Redman (born 1957), English actress
- Amanda Reid (born 1996), Australian Paralympic cyclist and swimmer
- Amanda Ribas (born 1993), Brazilian mixed martial artist
- Amanda Righetti (born 1983), American actress
- Amanda Rummery (born 1997), Canadian Paralympic sprinter
- Amanda Rylander (1832–1920), Swedish actress
S
- Amanda Sampedro (born 1993), Spanish soccer player
- Amanda Schull (born 1978), American actress and ballet dancer
- Amanda Seales (born 1981), American actress, comedian, recording artist and radio personality
- Amanda Setton (born 1985), American actress
- Amanda Seyfried (born 1985), American actress and singer
- Amanda Puspanditaning Sejati (born 1990), Indonesian lecturer and writer
- Amanda Shires (born 1982), American fiddler, singer and songwriter
- Amanda Simpson (born 1961), businesswoman and politician, first openly transgender woman political appointee
- Amanda Smith, professor of fashion and textile design in New Zealand
- Amanda Somerville (born 1979), American singer, songwriter and vocal coach
- Amanda Stepto (born 1970), Canadian actress and disk jockey
- Amanda Strang (born 1980), French actress, fashion model, singer and television presenter
- Amanda Swenson (1852-1919, Swedish-born American soprano singer
- Amanda Swisten (born 1978), American actress and model
T
V
W
Fictional characters
- Amanda, from the teen drama The Next Step
- Amanda, from the Colley Cibber play Love's Last Shift and its sequel by John Vanbrugh, The Relapse
- Amanda, from the Highlander franchise
- Amanda Becker, from the teen parody Not Another Teen Movie
- Amanda Beckett, from the teen romantic comedy Can't Hardly Wait
- Amanda Bellows, from the ABC fantasy comedy I Dream of Jeannie
- Amanda Benson, from the television movie Swindle
- Amanda Bentley, the titular character from the Candice F. Ransom novel Amanda
- Amanda Brotzman, from the BBC science fiction series Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
- Amanda Buckman, from the supernatural black comedy Addams Family Values
- Amanda Carrington, from the ABC soap opera Dynasty
- Amanda Clarke, from ABC mystery drama Revenge
- Helen "Amanda" Collins, from The CW action thriller Nikita
- Amanda De Santa, from the video game Grand Theft Auto V
- Amanda Grayson, mother of Spock from the Star Trek franchise
- Amanda Harper, from the Escape Room franchise
- Amanda Hunsaker, from the buddy cop action comedy Lethal Weapon
- Amanda Killman, the main antagonist from the Nickelodeon animated slapstick comedy Bunsen Is a Beast
- Amanda King, from the CBS drama Scarecrow and Mrs. King
- Amanda Krueger, the mother of Freddy Krueger from the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise
- Amanda LaRusso, the wife of Daniel LaRusso from the Netflix martial arts comedy Cobra Kai
- Amanda Lockhart, a character from the novel series Kingdom Keepers.
- Amanda Lopez, a character from the Disney XD tv series Milo Murphy's Law.
- Amanda Dillon, from the ABC soap opera All My Children
- Amanda Dunfrey, from the science fiction horror film The Mist
- Amanda "Mandy" McAllister, main character in TV show Young Sheldon
- Amanda Prendergast, from the action film Falling Down
- Amanda Rollins, from the NBC crime drama
- Amanda Rosewater, from the Syfy science fiction western Defiance
- Amanda Sefton, from Marvel Comics
- Amanda Tanen, from the ABC comedy drama Ugly Betty
- Amanda Thripp, a character in Matilda
- Amanda Toad, from the video game Star Fox
- Amanda Vale, from the Seven Network soap opera Home and Away
- Amanda Valenciano Libre, from the video game Metal Gear
- Amanda Vaughn, the main protagonist from the ABC comedy drama GCB
- Amanda Waller, from DC Comics
- Amanda Wingfield, from the Tennessee Williams play The Glass Menagerie
- Amanda Woods, from the romantic comedy The Holiday
- Amanda Woodward, from the Fox soap opera Melrose Place
- Amanda Young, the accomplice of Jigsaw from the Saw franchise
- Amanda Zimm, from the teen drama Ready or Not
Further reading
Notes and References
- Book: Dictionary of first names. . 1994 . Tiger Books Intl . Ernest Weekley . 1-85501-375-4 . London . 31399904.
- Book: Nuessel . Greenwood Press . 1992 . 9780313283567 . 10.
- Mathisen . Ralph . PLRE II Suggested Addenda and Corrigenda . Historia . 1982 . 31 . 3rd Qtr . 364–86 . 4435817 . 19 April 2021.
- Think Baby Names "Origin and meaning of Amanda"
