The name Victoria is believed to be a feminine form of the Roman name Victorius, meaning conqueror.
Until Queen Victoria ascended the throne in 1837 at the age of 18, the name was rare in the UK. By the time of her death 64 years later in 1901, it had become a popular name in the English speaking world. The Queen was actually christened Alexandrina and Victoria was her second name.
Famous people called Victoria:
Queen Victoria, ruler of the British Empire
Victoria Beckham, fashionista and former Spice Girl
Victoria Coren, British journalist and TV presenter
Pixie Lott, British singer born Victoria Lott
Tori Spelling, American actress
Victoria Wood, British comedian
Can be shortened to:
Vic, Vicky/Vikki, Tori/Tory, Toyah, or Queenie if you're up for going very retro
Surnames to avoid Victoria with:
Surnames beginning with an 'R' sound, ie. Rigsby or Richards, might cause problems as when said aloud this combination of sounds may result in elision – when two words slurred together end up sounding like one.
Similar names:
Foreign variants include Wiktoria (Polish), Vittoria (Italian), Victoire (French) and Viktoria (Scandinavian). Similar English names include Virginia, Violet and Vivian.
Male variations:
The masculine variant of Victoria is Victor, which has the same meaning.
Celebrities who named their baby Victoria:
Tommy Lee Jones
Charlie Chaplin
Muhammad Ali
Danielle Steel