Monica is a female given name with many variant forms, including Mónica (Spanish and European Portuguese), Mônica (Brazilian Portuguese), Monique (French), Monicka, Monika, Moniqua, Monike, Mónika, Monnica, Moneca and Moneeca.
Monica is an ancient name of North African origin (now Algeria) whose etymology is unknown. The earliest reference to the name is found in ancient Numidian inscriptions. The name might include a reference to the ancient Libyan god Mon. Saint Augustine's mother was named Monica, and she was born in Numidia, North Africa, although she also was a citizen of Carthage, hence the possibility it may be of Punic origin. It has also been associated with the Greek word monos, meaning "alone". Monica is also a name in Latin, deriving from the verb monere, meaning 'to advise.'
Saint Monica's feast day is 27 August, and Monica is the patron saint of married women.
One of the early occurrences of the name in literature is the character Monica Thorne in the 1858 novel Doctor Thorne by Anthony Trollope.
In the United States, the name's popularity reached a peak in 1977 when it was the 39th most popular female name for new births. The popularity has gradually waned since then, being 76th most popular in 1990, and 363rd in 2010.
In the European tradition of name day celebration, the date for the name Monica or Monika varies from country to country. In Hungary it is 4 May, as it is in Sweden. In Slovakia it is 7 May, and in the Czech Republic it is celebrated on 21 May. In Poland it is celebrated on 27 August and 4 May. In Latvia it is celebrated on 6 October and in Greece on 15 June.
Monica Aksamit, American fencer
Monica Ali (born 1967), British author
Monica Arnold (born 1980), American singer, professionally known as "Monica"
Monica Aspelund (born 1946), Finnish singer
Monica Bandini (born 1964), Italian road racing cyclist
Monica Bellucci (born 1964), Italian actress
Monica Birwinyo (born 1990), Ugandan actress
Monica Brant (born 1970), American fitness/figure competitor and model
Mónica Cruz (born 1977), Spanish actress
Monica Dickens (1915–1992), British author of books for adults and children
Monica Edwards (1912–1998), British children's author
Monica Evans (born 1940), British actress
Mónica Falcioni (born 1968), Uruguayan long and triple jumper
Monica Goodling (born 1973), former Director of Public Affairs for the U.S. Department of Justice
Monica Horan (born 1963), American actress
Monica of Hippo (322–387), Numidian saint, the mother of Saint Augustine
Monica Iozzi (born 1981), Brazilian actress and reporter.
Monica Keena (born 1979), American actress
Monica Lewinsky (born 1973), former White House intern who had an affair with U.S. President Bill Clinton
Mónica López, Argentine politician
Monica Macovei, Romanian politician
Monica Naisen (died 1626), Japanese Roman Catholic martyr beatified in 1867
Mónica Naranjo (born 1974), Spanish singer
Monica Niculescu (born 1987), Romanian tennis player
Mónica Pont (born 1969), Spanish long-distance runner
Monica Potter (born 1971), American actress
Monica Raymund (born 1986), American actress
Mónica Regonesi (born 1961), Chilean long-distance runner
Monica Rial, American voice actress and ADR director
Mônica Rodrigues (born 1967), Brazilian volleyball player
Monica Seles (born 1973), American-Serbian tennis player
Mónica Vergara (born 1983), Mexican female footballer
Monica Vitti (born 1931), Italian actress
Monica Yunus (born 1979), Bangladeshi-Russian-American opera singer
Monica Zetterlund (1937–2005), Swedish singer and actress
Monica in the film Dawn of the Dead, played by Kim Poirier
Monica, the lead character in the Brazilian comic book Monica's Gang
Monica the angel in the TV show Touched by an Angel
Monica Geller in the TV show Friends
Monica Madden in George Gissing's 1893 novel The Odd Women
Monica Quartermaine in American soap opera General Hospital
Monica Raybrandt, female protagonist of the video game Dark Chronicle
Monica Thorne in Trollope's 1858 novel Doctor Thorne
Monica in the TV show Silicon Valley
