Meaning & History
Anjelica is a variant spelling of Angelica, a female given name used in English-speaking countries. The name Angelica is derived from the Latin angelicus meaning "angelic", and ultimately from the Greek word ἄγγελος (angelos), meaning "messenger" — a term used in the New Testament to refer to divine messengers, i.e., angels.
Etymology and History
The name Angelica first gained literary prominence through the epic poems Orlando Innamorato (1483) by Matteo Boiardo and Orlando Furioso (1532) by Ludovico Ariosto, where Angelica is a beautiful and elusive princess of Cathay (China), and the love interest of both Orlando and Rinaldo. This heroic Italian romance spread the name across Europe. Despite its medieval popularity in fiction, Angelica only became common as a given name in the 18th century. The variant spelling Anjelica may have emerged partly due to the influence of the common surname Angelica or simply as a phonetic adaptation.
Because Anjelica is merely a respelling, it carries the same religious and cultural undertones of purity and divinity as its root.
Related Names
Cognates across Europe include Angelica (Romanian), Angélique (French), Angelika (Polish, German, Russian), Angeliki (Greek), Angelique (Dutch), and the Dutch diminutive Lieke.
- Meaning: Variant of Angelica, derived from Latin/meaning “angelic”
- Origin: English
- Gender: Feminine
- Usage regions: Primarily English-speaking countries