Meaning & Origin
A female given name from Latin.
Monica is a girl's and boy's baby name of Latin origin, likely from a North African (Phoenician or Berber) name of uncertain meaning — though some connect it to the Greek monos ("alone, single") or the Latin moneo ("to advise"). Saint Monica of Hippo, the devoted mother of Saint Augustine, is the name's most revered historical bearer.
Monica was in the U.S. top 50 girls' names from the 1960s through the 1990s. The Monica of Friends — competitive, passionate, and fiercely loyal — gave the name a vivid television identity for an entire generation. It's a name with genuine warmth and depth.