Ramona

Ramona is the feminine form of Spanish Ramón, related to Raymond and ultimately to Germanic elements for counsel and protection. “Wise protector” is a familiar interpretation of that combination. The Spanish form gives the older name family a distinctive three-syllable rhythm and a clear final a.

Ramona Quimby, the central character in Beverly Cleary’s books, is a lasting literary association. Helen Hunt Jackson’s nineteenth-century novel Ramona supplies another, very different story. Mona offers a shorter everyday option. A family honoring a Ramón or Raymond can use Ramona to preserve the meaning and relationship while choosing an established feminine form with its own cultural history.