Titania

Titania is a name most famously associated with the queen of the fairies in William Shakespeare's comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595). The name is believed to derive from the Latin Titanius, meaning "of the Titans," itself a reference to the Greek mythological Titans. Shakespeare likely borrowed the title from Ovid's Metamorphoses, where Diana is called Titania as a patronymic indicating descent from the Titans (or Titan, the sun god). In folklore, fairies were often conflated with classical nymphs, making the queen of fairies a parallel to Diana.

In Shakespeare's play, Titania is the wife of Oberon, the king of the fairies, and her name embodies both power and a connection to the natural world. The relationship between Oberon and Titania has its roots in earlier literature: Oberon appears in the 13th-century French romance Huon de Bordeaux as a fairy king. In A Midsummer Night's Dream, their quarrel over a changeling boy causes chaos in the natural order, mixing love and enchantment among mortal Athenians.

Beyond literature, the name gained celestial significance. Titania is the largest moon of Uranus, discovered in 1787 by William Herschel and named after the Shakespearean character, following a tradition of naming Uranus's moons after literary figures. This astronomical association reinforces the name's otherworldly aura.

The etymology of Shakespeare's coinage can be traced further. The Latin Titanius likely originates from the medieval Germanic name Auberon, a diminutive of Alberich, which comprises Old German elements alb "elf" and rih "ruler, king." That the king of the fairies in medieval romance should end up married to a Titan suggests playful fusing of different mythologies by Shakespeare.

Though Titania is recurrent in literature, it remains rare as given name and is used mostly by literary enthusiasts in English‑speaking countries.

• Meaning: "Of the Titans"
• Origin: Literary, coined by Shakespeare from Latin titanius
• Usage: Predominantly literary and astronomical