Meaning: Its source is Berenike, a Greek name meaning "Bringer of victory."

In Spanish, this name is sometimes spelled with an accent -- Verónica.

Languages: This girl's name is used in English, Italian and Spanish.

Nicknames: Ranna, Roni, Ronna, Ronni, Ronnie, Ronny, Vera, Vonnie and Vero

Alternative Spellings: Varonica and Vironica

Variant Forms: Ronica, Ronnica, Verenice, Verinica, Vernice, Veronic, Véronic, Veronick, Véronick, Véronik, Veronnica and Vronica

Non-English Forms: Veronika, Veronique, Veronne, Véronique and Weronikia

Source Forms: Berenike

Popularity: The name Veronica ranked 157th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 158th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

This name is highly rated in the 1990 U.S. Census popularity survey of all ages, but after 1960 does not appear in the state data listing the most popular baby names.

Narrative: St. Veronica was said to have offered Jesus a cloth to wipe his face as he faltered on his way to crucifixion. She obtained a miraculous ''true image'' (in Latin a vera icon) of Jesus' face on the cloth. Some commentators prefer to derive Veronica from the Latin phrase associated with the Christian saint, rather than from the name of the pagan Greek goddess of victory, Nike.

Compare this to St. Jerome's association of Mary with the Latin phrase stella maris (meaning ''star of the sea''), despite the more widely supported derivation from the Hebrew name Miryam, meaning ''wished-for child.''