# Petronella (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/petronella/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | Latin |
| Meaning | “rock” |
| Pronunciation | /ˌpɛt.ɹəˈnɛlə/, 4 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 335 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 0 / 335 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | not in the ONS data |

## Etymology

From Latin Petronella, feminine diminutive of Petronius, a Roman family name possibly derived from petra "rock". Name of an obscure early saint; because of similarity of sound, used as a feminine form of Peter.

## What it means

Petronella is grouped under mountain.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1924 | 11 | 3,109 |
| 1925 | 13 | 2,744 |
| 1926 | 6 | 4,721 |
| 1927 | 7 | 4,191 |
| 1929 | 11 | 2,881 |
| 1932 | 6 | 4,308 |
| 1933 | 7 | 3,679 |
| 1934 | 7 | 3,723 |
| 1938 | 11 | 2,697 |
| 1939 | 5 | 4,788 |
| 1940 | 5 | 4,881 |
| 1943 | 8 | 3,746 |
| 1946 | 5 | 5,530 |
| 1947 | 5 | 5,925 |
| 1949 | 6 | 5,111 |

## People named Petronella

- Petronella Barker, British-born Norwegian actress
- Petronella Moens, Dutch poet, editor and woman of letters (1762-1843), owner/creator of the album amicorum o
- Petronella van Woensel, 1785 - 1839 | Dutch | Oil Painter (1785–1839)
- Petronella Oortman, Dutch art collector
- Petronella Johanna de Timmerman, Dutch poet and scientist (1724–1786)
- Kitty Courbois, Dutch actress (1937-2017)
- Brigitte van den Berg, Dutch politician (born 1989)
- Petronilla, Countess of Bigorre, Countess of Bigorre
- Erica van den Heuvel, badminton player
- Cécile de Jong van Beek en Donk, Dutch writer (1866–1944)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.