Lollie

The given name Lollie is thought to have originated as a diminutive or nickname form of the name Laurentia, which itself derives from the Latin name Laurentius. Laurentius was a Roman family name derived from the ancient town of Laurentum, located near Rome. The name Laurentum may have roots in the Latin word "laurus" meaning laurel tree.

Lollie emerged as a pet form or diminutive of Laurentia in the late Middle Ages, particularly in parts of Italy, France, and Spain where Latin derivatives were common. One of the earliest known bearers was Lollie Buccapecora, an Italian noble born around 1320 in Perugia. She came from a wealthy family and married Giovanni Beccari in 1342.

In the 15th century, Lollie de Villiers was a French courtier and lady-in-waiting to Queen Marie of Anjou. She was born in 1431 and served at the royal court in Paris. Around the same time, the Spanish knight Lollio Campeño fought in the Reconquista against the Moors and was rewarded with lands near Seville after distinguishing himself in battle in 1482.

During the Renaissance, the humanist scholar Lollio Teodoli was a patron of the arts in Rome, born in 1456. He hosted intellectual gatherings and funded the construction of the Teodoli Chapel in the Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva. In England during the reign of Henry VIII, records show a woman named Lollie Wilcox was tried for heresy in 1536 but spared execution.

One of the more famous bearers was the 17th century Italian painter Lollie Bonaventura, born in 1627 in Florence. She was a portraitist active during the Baroque period and painter of mythological scenes. Her works can be found in galleries across Italy.