Constance is a primarily feminine given name in use since the Middle Ages that is derived either from Constantia, a Late Latin name, or from the term meaning steadfast.[1] In medieval England, diminutives of the name included Cust or Cussot. Puritans used Con, Constant, and Constancy.[2] Other variations of the name include Connie, Constancia, and Constanze.
 Constance Mayer, a self portrait, 1801. | |
| Pronunciation | /ˈkɒnstəns/ |
|---|---|
| Gender | Female |
| Origin | |
| Word/name | Latin |
| Meaning | Constant |
| Other names | |
| Related names | Connie, Constancia, Constanza |
Notable people
edit- Constance of Antioch (1127–1163), only daughter of Bohemund II of Antioch
- Constance of Aragon, Holy Roman Empress (1179–1222), Aragonese infanta
- Constance of Arles (986–1034), third wife and queen of King Robert II of France
- Constance of Austria (1588–1631), Queen consort of Poland
- Constance of Burgundy (1046–1093), daughter of Duke Robert I of Burgundy
- Constance of Castile, Duchess of Lancaster (1354–1394) second wife of John of Gaunt
- Constance, Queen of Sicily (1154–1198), also Holy Roman Empress (Dowager)
- Constance of Portugal (1290–1313), daughter of King Denis of Portugal
- Constance de Salm (1767–1845), poet and miscellaneous writer; through her second marriage, she became Princess of Salm-Dyck
- Constance of Wrocław (c. 1221 – 1257), Princess of Silesia and the Duchess of Kuyavia
- Constance of York (1374–1416), daughter of Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York
- Constance, Duchess of Brittany (1161–1201), hereditary Duchess of Brittany
- Constance, Duchess of Wodzisław (died 1351), Polish princess
- Constance of Hungary (c. 1180 – 1240), second Queen consort of Ottokar I of Bohemia
- Constance of Toulouse, daughter of Raymond VI of Toulouse
- Constance Babington Smith MBE Legion of Merit FRSL (1912–2000), RAF Photographic Intelligence specialist who discovered the Nazi V-Weapon programme.
- Constance Baker Motley (1921–2005), the first African American woman elected to the New York State Senate and subsequently the first African American female federal judge
- Constance Bennett (1904–1965), American actress
- Constance Bolton (née Beard, 1884–1949), New Zealand artist
- Constance Briscoe (born 1957), British barrister
- Constance Calenda (1415), Italian surgeon
- Constance Marie Charpentier (1767–1849), French painter
- Constance Collier (1878–1955), British-born American actress
- Constance Coltman (1889–1969), British pastor
- Constance Cox (1912–1998), British writer
- Constance Cummings (1910–2005), American-born British actress
- Constance Prem Nath Dass (1886–1971), Indian college administrator
- Constance Demby (1939–2021), American musician
- Constance Dowling (1920–1969), American actress
- Constance Amy Fall (1903–1992), Australian nurse
- Constance of France, Princess of Antioch (1078–1126)
- Constance Ford (1923–1993), American actress
- Constance Garnett (1861–1946), English translator
- Constance Glube (1931–2016), Canadian judge
- Constance Ella Glynn, known as Connie Glynn (born 1994), English YouTuber and author
- Constance Gordon-Cumming (1837–1924), British travel writer and painter
- Constance Grewe (born 1946), German judge
- Constance Le Grip (born 1960), French politician
- Constance Hamilton (1862–1945), Canadian politician
- Constance Cary Harrison (1843–1920), American writer
- Constance Hopkins (1607–1677), English colonist and Mayflower passenger
- Constance A. Howard (born 1942), American politician
- Constance Hunting (1925–2006), American poet
- Constance N. Johnson (born 1952), American politician
- Constance Kamii (born 1931), Swiss-born American educator
- Constance Keene (1921–2005), American pianist
- Constance Stuart Larrabee (1914–2000), South African photographer and war correspondent
- Constance Lau (born 1991), Singaporean actress
- Constance Leathart (1903–1993) British pilot, flew in the Air Transport Auxiliary.
- Constance Lloyd (1858–1898), Oscar Wilde's wife
- Constance Marie (born 1965), American actress
- Constance Markievicz (1868–1927), Irish countess and political activist
- Constance Menard (born 1968), French equestrienne
- Constance Moore (1920–2005), American actress
- Constanze Mozart née Weber (1762–1842), Austrian singer, wife and biographer of the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Constance Naden (1858–1889), English poet
- Constance Piers (1866–1939), Canadian journalist, poet, editor
- Constance Reid (1918–2010), American author
- Constance Rover (1910–2005), English historian
- Constance Senghor (born 1963), Senegalese high jumper
- Constance Lindsay Skinner (1877–1939), Canadian writer
- Constance Smith (disambiguation), several people
- Constance Smith (1929-2003), Irish actress
- Constance Adelaide Smith (1878-1938), Englishwoman responsible for the reinvigoration of Mothering Sunday
- Constance Christine Smith (1942-disappeared 1952), American missing child
- Constance Spry (1886–1960), British florist and author
- Constance Stone (1856–1902), Australian doctor
- Constance Talmadge (1898–1973), American actress
- Constance Tipper (1894–1995), British metallurgist
- Constance Towers (born 1933), American singer and actress
- Constance Fenimore Woolson (1840–1894), American novelist
- Constance Wu (born 1982), American actress
- Constance Zimmer (born 1970), American actress
Fictional
edit- Constance Blackwood, Character in Ride the Cyclone
- Constance, the heroine of The Man of Law's Tale
- Constanze, heroine of Mozart's opera The Abduction from the Seraglio
- Constance Billard School, school in the television series Gossip Girl
- Constance Blackwood, character in Shirley Jackson's novel We Have Always Lived in the Castle
- Constance Bonacieux, an important character in the novel The Three Musketeers
- Constance "Connie" Brooks (see Our Miss Brooks), fictional English language teacher
- Constance "Connie" Chatterly, the main protagonist in D.H. Lawrence's final novel Lady Chatterley's Lover
- Constance Contraire, character created by Trenton Lee Stewart in his Mysterious Benedict Society series
- Constance, Lady Crabtree, character created by Paul James
- Constance Greene, character in the Pendergast book series
- Constance Langdon, one of the main characters from FX show American Horror Story
- Constance MacKenzie, character in the 1956 novel Peyton Place by Grace Metalious
- Constance Miller, a character in The Object of My Affection
- Constance Pemberton, character created by Brandon Mull in his Five Kingdoms series
- Constance Hatchaway, a character in the Disney Haunted Mansion attractions[citation needed]
- Constance Von Nuvelle, a character in the Fire Emblem series
- Constance Webb, mother of the titular character in the 2024 film Madame Web
See also
edit- Constance (or Konstanz), a city in Germany bordering Switzerland
- Constant (given name)
- Constant (surname)
References
edit- ^ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006). Oxford Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. pp. 62–63. ISBN 0-19-861060-2.
- ^ "Full text of "Curiosities of Puritan nomenclature"". archive.org. 1880. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
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