Olimpia
Olimpia – a female name that was relatively more common on Lipari during the late-1500s and 1600s than in later centuries although it did continue to be used in some families for many generations thereafter.
From the Ancient Greek Olympiás (Ὀλυμπιάς), the feminine form of Ólympos (Ὄλυμπος), of Olympus, that is, Mt. Olympus (the abode of the gods in Greek mythology), and meaning heavenly or celestial.
Some examples on Lipari (as there are many to choose from) include: Olimpia Bonfiglio (b.c.1575), Olimpia Rijtano (c.1631), Olimpia Canali (1636), Olimpia Mercorella (1645), Olimpia Zijno (1796), Olimpia Florio (1856) and Olimpia Rodriquez (1894).
Historical references include Olympia (an ancient sanctuary in the Peloponnese that was the first home of the Olympic Games)1, St. Olympias2, a deaconess of the 4th century whose name’s day is December 17 and Olympias as the third of four names of Alexander the Great’s mother3.
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1 A plain of southern Greece in the northwest Peloponnesus. It was a religious center [sic] devoted to the worship of Zeus and the site of the ancient Olympic Games. The statue of the Olympian Zeus by Phidias was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. https://www.yourdictionary.com/olympia, June 24, 2022
2 Name’s day traditionally celebrated on December 17 in memory of Saint Olympia of Constantinople, disciple of Chrysostom, fl. 368-408. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympias_the_Deaconess, https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=797, June 24, 2022.
3 Olympias was the eldest daughter of king Neoptolemus I of Epirus, the sister of Alexander I of Epirus, the fourth wife of Philip II, the king of Macedonia and the mother of Alexander the Great. The name Olympias was the third of four names by which she was known. She probably took it as recognition of Philip’s victory in the Olympic Games of 356 BC, the news of which coincided with Alexander’s birth. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympias, June 24, 2022.
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