Given name & surname
Petronella
“as solid and strong as a rock”
In English use, Petronella is a feminine form of Peter. One Greek interpretation is “as solid and strong as a rock.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Petronella is a feminine form of Peter. One Greek interpretation is “as solid and strong as a rock.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In English use, Petronella is a feminine form of Peter. Peter has been associated with Greek, Aramaic, and Scottish Gaelic naming traditions. In German use, Petronella is a variant of Pernilla. An origin associated with Pernilla is Latin. Petronella is a variant of Petronel. A possible origin is Latin, although the derivation remains uncertain.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English usage, Petronella is a feminine form of Peter. In Latin usage, Petronella is a diminutive of PETRONIUS.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1884. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Petronella through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 335
- 0 boys · 335 girls
- Most popular year
- 1916
- 19 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 6 in 1949. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 518 as a first name in 2020; 426 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Petronella’s family of names
In Finnish usage, Petronella has a short form in Nella. In English usage, Petronella is a feminine form of Peter. In Dutch usage, Petronella has a related form in Petronilla.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Petronella has relatives in 9 languages.
14 related names in 9 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 12
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 7
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Petronella
- Petronella BarkerBritish-born Norwegian actressborn 1965
- Petronella van Randwijkgymnast1905–1978
- Petronella MoensDutch poet, editor and woman of letters (1762-1843), owner/creator of the album amicorum of Petronella Moens (1762–1843)
- Petronella Burgerhofgymnast (1908-1991)
- Petronella EkrothSwedish association football playerborn 1989
- Petronilla of BigorreCountess of Bigorre1184–1251
- Petronella van Woensel1785 - 1839 | Dutch | Oil Painter (1785–1839)
- Petronella OortmanDutch art collector1656–1716
- Petronella TshumaSouth African actressborn 1990
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Petronella, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Euphemia
“one who speaks well”
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“shining light”
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Leola
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“crowned in victory”
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Antonina
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Vela
“a dark-skinned beauty”
>99% girls