Roxane (English)
Where does "Roxane" come from?
The English female given name Roxane descends from French Roxane, which comes from Ancient Greek 'Ῥωξᾱ́νη'[1]. The Greek form was borrowed from Old Persian '*Rauxšnā'[1][2] and Bactrian[2], tracing back to the Old Persian form '*rauxšnā'[1] and Proto-Iranian '*ráwxšnaH'[6]. This ancient lineage ultimately roots in the Proto-Indo-European reconstructed form '*lówksneh₂'[1], derived from '*lewk-' meaning 'to shine'[3]. Roxane is also a doublet of Luna[1].
Open questions
- The ancestral Proto-Indo-European form may alternatively derive from *lewk-s- plus *-néh₂, or originate as a later poetic synonym for moon. [3]
Full etymology tree
- Roxane (English), 'A female given name from Old Persian.'
- inherited Roxane (French), 'Roxana (the wife of Alexander the Great)'
- inherited Ῥωξάνη (Rhoxáne) (Ancient Greek), 'Roxana (wife of Cambyses II)'
- borrowed *Rauxšnā (Old Persian), 'a female given name'
- inherited *rauxšnā (Old Persian), 'light'
- inherited *ráwxšnaH (Proto-Iranian), 'light, brightness'
- inherited *lówksneh₂ (Proto-Indo-European), 'moon'
- inherited *ráwxšnaH (Proto-Iranian), 'light, brightness'
- inherited *rauxšnā (Old Persian), 'light'
- borrowed *Rauxšnā (Old Persian), 'a female given name'
- inherited Ῥωξάνη (Rhoxáne) (Ancient Greek), 'Roxana (wife of Cambyses II)'
- inherited Roxane (French), 'Roxana (the wife of Alexander the Great)'
Ancestors
- Roxane (French)
- Ῥωξάνη (Ancient Greek)
- *rauxšnā (Old Persian)
- *lówksneh₂ (Proto-Indo-European)
Cognates and doublets
- Luna (English)
Sources
- Roxane (English) - Wiktionary
- Ῥωξάνη (Rhoxáne) (Ancient Greek) - Wiktionary
- lówksneh₂ (Proto-Indo-European) - Wiktionary
- rauxšnā (Old Persian) - Wiktionary
- léwks (Proto-Indo-European) - Wiktionary
- ráwxšnaH (Proto-Iranian) - Wiktionary
- Rauxšnā (Old Persian) - Wiktionary
Updated August 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris