Miranda was coined as a first name (given name) by William Shakespeare, who chose the name for Prospero's daughter in his play The Tempest, written in 1611. The first documented use of Miranda as a first name is in England in 1687, but it didn't become popular until the 20th century (http://www.medievalscotland.org/problem/names/miranda.shtml). I have a page devoted to the popularity of the name in the US.
There is a region in northern Spain and Portugal named Miranda, as well as many small towns which date back before Shakespeare, and Miranda is a common Spanish surname, so Shakespeare may have heard the name from a traveller or while travelling. (For more information about Miranda Spain/Portugal see my places outside the United States.)
Miranda Schatten and Godric Wilkie contributed to this page.
I'm always looking for more Miranda trivia, so if you have any drop me an email. (I used to have a guestbook, but it got too much spam.)
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