Find out how popular the first name Leocadia has been for the last 1 years (from 2021 to 2021) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Popularity of Leocadia by gender

Based on the last 1 years of data, Leocadia is exclusively a female name.

For the most recent data in 2021, there were 7 female babies and 0 male babies born with the name Leocadia.

The history of the first name Leocadia

The name Leocadia has its origins in ancient Greek and is derived from the elements "leon" meaning lion and "kadia" meaning pure or chaste. It is a feminine name that emerged during the Roman era, when Christianity was spreading throughout the Mediterranean region.

Leocadia was the name of a 3rd-century Christian martyr from Toledo, Spain, who was brutally tortured and killed for her faith during the persecutions of Diocletian. Her story is recounted in early Christian writings, and she is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church.

One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Leocadia dates back to the 6th century, when a nun named Leocadia lived in a convent in Seville, Spain. She is mentioned in the writings of the Visigothic historian Isidore of Seville, who lived from around 560 to 636 AD.

In the medieval period, the name Leocadia was relatively common in Spain and Portugal, where it was often associated with religious devotion and purity. A notable bearer of the name was Leocadia Fernandez de Villagarcía (1536-1595), a Spanish mystic and visionary who experienced religious ecstasies and is said to have received stigmata, the wounds of Christ.

During the Renaissance, the name Leocadia was also found in Italy, where it was sometimes adapted to the spelling "Leocadia". One of the earliest known Italian bearers of the name was the 16th-century painter Leocadia Malaspina (c. 1525-1593), who was active in Pavia and Milan.

In the 17th century, the name Leocadia appeared in France, where it was sometimes rendered as "Léocadie". A notable French bearer was Léocadie Dufour (1629-1695), a pioneering educator and founder of one of the first schools for girls in Montreal, Canada.

While relatively uncommon in the English-speaking world, the name Leocadia has been used occasionally throughout history, including by the 19th-century American poet and abolitionist Leocadia Redington (1811-1891), who was active in the anti-slavery movement.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Leocadia was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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