National Veronica Day – October 14, 2024

History of National Veronica Day

The name Veronica is predominantly a Greek female name that means ‘truth.’ ‘Vera’ means ‘truth’ in Latin. Veronica was one of the women who defended Jesus before Pontius Pilate in the Bible. Veronica’s name is derived from the Greek term ‘Bere nike,’ which means “to bring victory.”

According to extra-biblical Christian sacred tradition, Saint Veronica, or Berenike, was a woman from Jerusalem who lived in the first century. She was a devout Jerusalem woman who wiped Jesus’ face on the way to the crucifixion; according to tradition, the cloth was left with an impression of Jesus’ face, which could have been fabricated to explain the folk etymology. Her feast day was included under July 12 in the 17th-century “Acta Sanctorum” issued by the Bollandists. She is a venerated saint in many pious Christian countries.

There have been several women named Veronica who have made waves in pop culture. One is Veronica Lake, also known as Constance Ockelman, the 1940s’ peekaboo blonde. She frequently starred in femme fatale roles. You may have also heard of Veronica Roth, the author of the “Divergent” books which have been adapted into movies. Then there is the fictional Veronica Ashford, the first Countess Ashford, a 19th-century British noblewoman. Another famous one is Veronica Lodge, the one heavily featured in the “Archie” comics, who is Betty’s sexy, dark-haired nemesis.

For the better part of a century, Veronica has been a top 400 name, peaking in popularity in the 1970s and 1980s, when it cracked the top 100.