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Donzella

♀ Girl

How to Pronounce Donzella

Pronounced don-ZEL-uh /dɒnˈzɛl.ə/Medium

Meaning: Donzella comes from the Italian donzella, 'damsel' or 'young lady,' a literary and old-fashioned word for a maiden, descended from Vulgar Latin domnicella, a little lady. As a given name it reads as a graceful heritage word-name.Medium

In 30 seconds: Donzella is the Italian word for 'young lady' or 'damsel'; a rare, graceful heritage name, it appeared briefly in the mid-twentieth century and never grew common.

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Origin MediumItalian, Latin

MeaningDonzella comes from the Italian donzella, 'damsel' or 'young lady,' a literary and old-fashioned word for a maiden, descended from Vulgar Latin domnicella, a little lady. As a given name it reads as a graceful heritage word-name.

U.S. rank (1969)#6124 ↗ Rising

1969 U.S. births7 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)

Peak year1950

Total births (all-time)≈ 375

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Donzella is an Italian word-name meaning 'damsel' or 'young lady,' from the Vulgar Latin domnicella, a 'little lady.' It shares its ancestry with the English damsel, and as a first name it carries a courtly, storybook quality drawn straight from that vocabulary.

Its American record is slight — a small mid-century flicker with a very low total across its whole run — so it reads as a rare heritage choice rather than an established name. A Donzella from that time would be in her seventies now, wearing an unusually literary Italian name.

Did you know? Donzella descends from the Latin domnicella, 'little lady' — the same diminutive of domina, 'mistress of the house,' that also gave rise to the English word 'damsel.'

Overall data confidence 55%

Italian dictionary — donzella — 'damsel, young lady'; Latin domnicella

Variations

DonzelaDonatella

Nicknames

ZellaDonnie

Famous Bearers

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If you like Donzella…

Donatella— a same-root Italian name with a shared courtly feel

Zella— the natural short form and a vintage name in its own right

Gabriella— a comparable melodic Italian -ella name

Marcella— a fellow Italian -ella name of the same era

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Donzella mean?

Donzella is the Italian word for 'damsel' or 'young lady,' from Latin domnicella, 'little lady.'

How do you pronounce Donzella?

It's said don-ZEL-uh /dɒnˈzɛl.ə/ — three syllables, stress in the middle.

Is Donzella a boy or girl name?

Donzella is a girl's name.

How popular is Donzella?

Donzella has always been very rare, appearing only in small numbers in the mid-twentieth century.