Virginia

Virginia is a Latin feminine name derived from the Roman family name Virginius, itself likely connected to the Latin word virgo, meaning maiden or virgin. The name is most famously associated with the legendary Roman plebeian Virginia, whose story of sacrifice at the hands of the decemvir Appius Claudius is recounted by Livy, and it later gained widespread use across the English-speaking world partly through the naming of the American state of Virginia in honor of Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen. The English author Virginia Woolf is among its most celebrated modern bearers. Related forms include Virginie in French and Verginia in some older Latin sources.