Dayanara

Dayanara is a name made popular by Dayanara Torres, a former Miss Universe from Puerto Rico. Although it wasn’t her pageant successes that threw Ms. Torres into the limelight; rather it was her high-profile divorce from internationally famous singer Marc Anthony. It’s unclear where her name originated, but most people seem to agree it’s an elaboration of Dayana, which itself is considered a Hispanic form of Diana. The name Diana is borne from Roman mythology by the goddess of the hunt and the moon (in Greek mythology her name is Artemis). Diana was the daughter of the king of all Roman gods, Jupiter, and the twin sister of Apollo, god of the arts and the sun. Diana was a highly celebrated goddess in Roman pagan civilization particularly among the plebeians (before Christianity was adopted as the official religion of the Roman Empire in 380). In Roman mythology, Diana is characterized as beautiful, a skillful huntress, chaste (a virgin who swears never to marry), and a protector of childbirth. The name is most likely borrowed from the Greek word “dios” which means “of Zeus” (Zeus being the Greek equivalent to the Roman Jupiter). “Of Zeus” essentially means “divine, godlike”. The ancient word “divios” also means “sky” which is appropriate since Diana was the moon goddess. The name Diana was brought to England by way of the French (who use “Diane”) and the virgin goddess was a favorite reference among Elizabethan poets and playwrights. As a given name, however, Diana did not come into widespread usage until the late 1800s (Christians were especially reluctant to use this name given its pagan associations to the Roman goddess).