Disney princesses come from different backgrounds and each of their names hold special meanings. Underneath the beautiful gowns and dashing princes is an underlying message of self-identity, independence, and strength that we can all learn from today. Here are some of our favorite princesses along with the hidden meanings behind their names.
When I was a kid, I was obsessed with Disney princesses. I even kept a little scrapbook where I wrote out the names and pictures of all my favorites. But as an adult, it’s not just the name that attracts me to these characters; it’s their stories and how those names fit into them. And for some reason, that never occurred to me when I was younger. It makes sense though: each of those princesses has such an iconic name that it must have been chosen very carefully by someone who knew what they were doing—and probably had a lot of other ideas than just sticking “Bella” in front of “Marie.” So today, let’s look at some famous Disney princess names and see what we can learn about their origins!
Disney princess names have interesting meanings. While most of us just think of their names as a pretty name, there’s often more to them than you realize. They’re usually inspired by real people or other cultural references. In fact, the Disney-associated website Oh My Disney recently published an article breaking down the meaning behind some popular princess names. The site says that Snow White was named after Queen Elizabeth I and Aurora after Aurora Bingley (the daughter of Lady Caroline Lamb who also inspired Keira Knightley’s character in Atonement). Cinderella is named for her stepmother’s wickedness, Belle from Beauty and the Beast is based on Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice, Jasmine from Aladdin takes her name from Princess Jasna of Haryana India who married Prince Salim Emperor Akbar’s son and finally Mulan takes her name from Hua Mulan a legendary Chinese warrior woman who disguised herself as a man in order to fight for her country during war time!
I think it’s amazing how much thought goes into naming characters in movies like Disney Princesses. These names can tell us a lot about who the character is and where they’re from. I’m happy to have learned more about this topic, and I think it would be fun to watch some of your favorite Disney princess movies with this new knowledge!
