Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Sabina

Sabina is a female name from an Old Roman family name (Sabinus) derived from the Latin word meaning “Sabines”. The Sabines were an ancient Italic tribe inhabiting the Apennine Mountain region of central Italy and parts of Latium. After the founding of Rome, much of the Sabine population gravitated to the new city and co-existed with the Latins. In the 8th century B.C. Rome was co-ruled by its legendary founder Romulus and Titus Tatius, King of the Sabines. One legend claims that the Latins abducted the Sabine women to populate their new city, but the Sabine men raised an army to thwart the kidnapping. In order to stop the imminent war, the Sabine women courageously threw themselves and their children between the two adversaries, thus preventing bloodshed and uniting the two tribes. The legacy of Rome can be traced to these two groups: the Latins and the Sabines. Unlike Latin, the Sabine language did not survive, and only scant traces are left. As the Roman Republic established their centralized government, and expanded its highly organized military power, the other ancient Italian tribes were no match. The remaining Sabines in central Italy as well as the Etruscans, Umbrians and Veneti, were eventually gobbled up by the Republic and assimilated into Latin society. Two notable women from antiguity bore the name Sabina: Poppaea Sabina, the wife of Emperor Nero who lived in the 1st century A.D.; and Vibia Sabina, the strong willed and independent-minded wife of Emperor Hadrian. In terms of Christian significance, Saint Sabina was martyred in Rome in the 2nd century (her feast day is August 29). Sabina was converted to Christianity by one of her female slaves. The slave girl was accused of witchery and beheaded. Sabina’s crime was to give her former slave a proper burial, a crime punishable by death at the time. Mostly thanks to the legends and cults which grew around early saints, Sabina’s name endured into medieval times up through the modern era. Sabina has mainly been used by the Italians, Spanish, and Portuguese, as well as Russians, Poles and most other Slavic nations. A very multi-national name with international appeal!

All About the Baby Name – Sabina

Personality

OF THE GIRL NAME SABINA

The number one personality is a leader - strong and competitive. They are willing to initiate action and take risks. One personalities work hard toward their endeavors and have the ability to apply their creative and innovative thinking skills with strong determination. They believe in their ability to succeed and are too stubborn to be hindered by obstacles. Ones meet obstacles head-on with such mental vigor and energy that you better step aside. They resent taking orders, so don't try telling them what to do either. This is an intensely active personality, but they are also known as starters rather than finishers. They have a propensity to become bored and will move quickly to the next project if not properly challenged.  They are the ones to think up and put into action new and brilliant ideas, but they are not the ones to stick around and manage them. This personality has an enthusiastic and pioneering spirit. They are distinctly original.

Popularity

OF THE GIRL NAME SABINA

The usage of Sabina in America does date back to the 19th century, but it was never a very popular choice. In fact, Sabina fell off the U.S. female naming charts in 1926. She has yet to reappear on the charts, so we wonder if her long hiatus is permanent. Sabina sounds very similar to another name, Sabrina, which has managed to retain more usage in America; although the two names have completely different etymological roots (Sabrina comes from Welsh mythology). Sabina is stronger and less-flowery in our opinion. More confident and less girly-girl. It’s a shame that Sabina is largely ignored by American parents today. The name has an understated beauty and ancient appeal. A true original.

Quick Facts

ON SABINA

GENDER:

Girl

ORIGIN:

Italian

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

3

RANKING POPULARITY:

N/A

PRONUNCIATION:

sah-BEE-nah

SIMPLE MEANING:

Sabine woman

Characteristics

OF SABINA

Independent

Individualistic

Ambitious

Strong-willed

Inventive

Successful

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Sabina

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME SABINA

Sabina is a central character in the 1984 philosophical novel “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” written by Milan Kundera. In the novel, Sabina is free-spirited artist who is representative of the extreme example of “lightness” by declaring herself the enemy of “kitsch”. Kitsch is an important concept in the novel, derived from a German word meaning overly sentimental, tasteless and ostentatious in style (which is thematically assigned to the politics of Communism in general). In order to maintain her sense of beauty and individualism, Sabina engages in some very bad behavior (although no one can accuse her of not being an original in Communist Czechoslovakia). As Sabina thinks to herself: “"Beauty is a world betrayed. The only way we can encounter it is if its persecutors have overlooked it somewhere. Beauty hides behind the scenes of the May Day parade. If we want to find it, we must demolish the scenery." So she courageously seeks truthful beauty in her art. Sabina also pursues “lightness” by engaging in non-committal, often adulterous affairs, thumbing her nose at the constraints of convention. As the novel says: “Sabina knew of nothing more magnificent than going off into the unknown. She embraces the lightness.” Unbearable or not.

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME SABINA

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Sabina


Popular Songs

ON SABINA

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Sabina


Famous People

NAMED SABINA

Sabina (Bavarian princess, wife of William IV of Bavaria)
Sabina Citron (Holocaust survivor, activist, and author)
Sabina Wojtala (Polish figure skater)
Sabina Spielrein (Russian psychoanalyst and contemporary of Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud)

Children of Famous People

NAMED SABINA

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Sabina

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME SABINA

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Sabina