Senara

ze-NAH-rah
Variation of Azenor, Breton
"light"

Senara Origin and Meaning

The name Senara is a girl's name of Cornish, Breton origin meaning "light".

The origins of Senara, the name of a Cornish saint who is patron of the village of Zennor, are not so straightforward. Some say she was the same person as Azenor, a legendary Breton princess whose mother-in-law cast her out to sea in a trunk. Other stories say she was a mermaid turned Christian.

Wherever she came from, Senara is that rarest of names: lovely, straightforward, and unusual all at the same time. Since it may be related to Helen or Eleanor, it can be used as an honorific for one of those names -- though grandma Helen may understandably think it's a stretch.

Senara Popularity

Famous People Named Senara

  • Saint Senara
    Breton princess who washed ashore in Zennor, Cornwall

Senara in Pop Culture

  • Senara
    featured in Sue Monk Kidd's 2005 novel 'The Mermaid Chair'