Aloysia

Aloysia is the Latinized feminine form of Aloysius, itself a Latinized rendering of the Old Occitan and Old Provençal name Alois, which derives ultimately from the Germanic name Hludwig, composed of the elements meaning fame and war — the same source as Ludwig and Louis. The name gained religious prestige through Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, a sixteenth-century Italian Jesuit whose veneration spread feminine forms such as Aloysia across Catholic Europe. The botanist Carl Linnaeus honored the Spanish princess María Luisa of Parma by naming the fragrant herb lemon verbena Aloysia in her memory. Related forms include Aloysius, Luisa, Louise, and Ludovika.