Monica

Monica is an ancient name best known through Saint Monica, the North African mother of Saint Augustine. Its original meaning is uncertain, with Berber or Phoenician origins proposed. Later associations with a Latin word for advising and a Greek word for being alone do not prove that either was the name’s original source.

Monika and French Monique are established related forms. Tennis player Monica Seles and the fictional Monica Geller from Friends provide modern associations separate from the saint’s story. Monica’s long international history gives it substance without requiring the uncertain etymology to be simplified into a confident claim that it means “advisor.”