Anastasia

Feminine form of Anastasiusd derived from the word "anastasis." The name of a 4th-century Dalmatian saint martyred during the persecutions of the Roman emperor Diocletian. Best-known for the daughter of Nicholas II, the last Russian czar, who supposedly survived the massacre of the royal family whose story was adapted into a 1956 movie and a 1998 animated film. Nastassja Kinski, the prolific German actress who appeared in more than 60 films, bears a form of the name. Popular with parents because of its feminine "ia" ending and optional "z" and "y" spellings.