Name profile

GirlPronounced European Spanish /θo.ˈɾai̯.ða/; Latin American Spanish /so.ˈɾai̯.ða/Spanish language family

Zoraida

A name meaning "ring, chain link; enchanting, captivating".

Quick answer

Zoraida is a girl name meaning "ring, chain link; enchanting, captivating".

Pronunciation: European Spanish /θo.ˈɾai̯.ða/; Latin American Spanish /so.ˈɾai̯.ða/.

GenderGirl
Meaningring, chain link; enchanting, captivating
PronunciationEuropean Spanish /θo.ˈɾai̯.ða/; Latin American Spanish /so.ˈɾai̯.ða/
Language familySpanish

Meaning and history

Perhaps from a diminutive form of Arabic زردة (zarada) meaning "ring, chain link", with a metaphorical meaning of "enchanting, captivating". This was the name of a minor 12th-century Spanish saint, a convert from Islam. The name was used by Cervantes for a character in his novel Don Quixote (1606), in which Zoraida is a beautiful Moorish woman of Algiers who converts to Christianity and elopes with a Spanish officer.

Notes and context

Usage: spanish