Sabrina

Latinized form of Habren, the original Welsh name of the River Severn. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, Sabrina was a princess drowned in the Severn. The river was supposedly named for her, though her name more likely derives from the river, which is of unknown meaning. She appears as a water nymph in John Milton's masque Comus (1634).

Samuel A. Taylor's play Sabrina Fair (1953) and its 1954 film adaptation Sabrina brought the name to public attention. The comic book character Sabrina the Teenage Witch, introduced in 1962 with television adaptations in 1970-1974 and 1996-2003, also boosted its popularity. Another rise occurred in 1976 when it was used for a main character on Charlie's Angels.