Susan
English
[edit]Etymology 1
[edit]English form of the biblical Susanna, from Biblical Hebrew שׁוֹשַׁנָּה (šōšannā, “lily”), ultimately from Egyptian
(zšn).
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Pronunciation
[edit]- IPA(key): /ˈsuː.zən/, /ˈsuː.zɪn/, (archaic) /ˈsjuː-/
Audio (Southern England): (file) - Rhymes: -uːzən
Proper noun
[edit]Susan (plural Susans)
- A female given name from Hebrew.
- c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]:
- Susan and she - God rest all Christian souls! - / Were of an age. Well, Susan is with God; / She was too good for me.
- 1855, Elizabeth Gaskell, North and South, Bernhard Tauchnitz, published 1855, page 382:
- "With all my heart, though I have not an idea who little Susan may be. But I have a kindness for all Susans, for simple Susan's sake.
- 1932, Ernest Weekley, Words and Names, J.Murray, page 84:
- My own 'reaction' to the name Susan is a vision of a sturdy young woman garbed in 'print' and armed with a mop or other domestic implement, a picture compounded of a succession of domestic Susans passing before the eyes of early childhood. […] It is symptomatic of the game of general post now being played by the classes and the masses that Susan is taking refuge, with Betty, Peggy, Jane and Ann, among the aristocracy, while Gladys and Muriel reign below stairs,
- 2006, Anne Tyler, Digging to America, Alfred A. Knopf, →ISBN, pages 10, 62:
- Susan, they called her. They chose a name that resembled the name she had come with, Sooki, and also it was a comfortable sound for Iranians to pronounce. "Su-san!" Maryam would sing when she went in to get her from her nap. "Su-Su-Su!"
Even on issues pertaining to their daughter, the Yazdans took a very different approach. Imagine changing that charming name, Sooki, part of her native heritage, to plain old Susan!
- 2025 March 29, David Wright and Alex Leeds Matthews, “Musk flexes influence as Wisconsin Supreme Court race smashes spending records”, in CNN[1]:
- Advertisers from both sides in the officially nonpartisan contest have already combined to spend more than $70 million on the 2025 race, according to data from the ad tracking firm AdImpact. Supporters of the liberal candidate, Dane County Circuit Judge Susan Crawford, have outspent supporters of the conservative candidate, Waukesha County Circuit Judge Brad Schimel, by about $40 million to $33 million.
Usage notes
[edit]- In continuous use since the Middle Ages, with the latest popularity peak in the mid-twentieth century.
Derived terms
[edit]Related terms
[edit]others
Translations
[edit]female given name
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Etymology 2
[edit]Adjective
[edit]Susan (not comparable)
- (historical) Of or pertaining to the ancient city of Susa.
Noun
[edit]Susan (plural Susans)
- (historical) A person from the ancient city of Susa.
Anagrams
[edit]Danish
[edit]Etymology
[edit](This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Proper noun
[edit]Susan
- a female given name borrowed from English
Romanian
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From susan.
Proper noun
[edit]Susan m (genitive/dative lui Susan)
- a surname
Categories:
- English terms derived from Egyptian
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- Rhymes:English/uːzən
- Rhymes:English/uːzən/2 syllables
- English lemmas
- English proper nouns
- English countable nouns
- English given names
- English female given names
- English female given names from Hebrew
- English terms with quotations
- English terms suffixed with -an
- English adjectives
- English uncomparable adjectives
- English terms with historical senses
- English nouns
- Danish lemmas
- Danish proper nouns
- Danish given names
- Danish female given names
- Romanian lemmas
- Romanian proper nouns
- Romanian masculine nouns
- Romanian surnames