Given name
Petronilla
“as solid and strong as a rock”
Petronilla is a variant of Petronela. In Latin use, Petronela carries the interpretation “as solid and strong as a rock.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Petronilla is a variant of Petronela. In Latin use, Petronela carries the interpretation “as solid and strong as a rock.”
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1907. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Petronilla through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 57
- 0 boys · 57 girls
- Most popular year
- 1927
- 7 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 1935. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 7 in 1927. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 166 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Petronilla’s family of names
In Dutch usage, Petronilla has a related form in Petronella. Petronilla has a related form in Petronela. In English usage, Petronilla has a conventional equivalent in the Polish form Petronela.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Petronilla
- Petronilla de MeathIrish woman burnt for heresy1300–1324
- Melusina von der Schulenburg, Countess of WalsinghamBritish countess (1693–1778)
- Petronilla of BigorreCountess of Bigorre1184–1251
- Petronilla de Grandmesnil, Countess of LeicesterEnglish countess1145–1212
- Petronilla Paolini MassimiItalian poet1663–1726
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Petronilla, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Petra
“stone”
>99% girls
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“the shining light”
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Elnora
“shining light”
>99% girls
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“venerable; majestic”
>99% girls
Carmelina
“garden” · “of the fruitful orchard”
>99% girls
Zenobia
Zenobia is a feminine given name from Latin, ultimately from Arabic. It is used in English, Italian, Polish, and Occitan.
>99% girls
Eudora
“a good gift”
>99% girls
Jeneva
“of the race of women; the white wave”
>99% girls