From Greek Μήδεια (Medeia), derived from μήδεα (medea) meaning “plans, counsel, cunning”. In Greek mythology Medea was a sorceress from Colchis (modern Georgia) who helped Jason gain the Golden Fleece. They were married, but eventually Jason left her for another woman. For revenge Medea slew Jason’s new lover and also had her own children by Jason killed.
From a surname, an Anglicized form of Irish Ó Proinntigh meaning “descendant of Proinnteach”. The given name Proinnteach meant “bestower” in Gaelic. The Brontë sisters – Charlotte, Emily, and Anne – were 19th-century English novelists. Their father changed the spelling of the family surname from Brunty to Brontë, possibly to make it coincide with Greek βροντή meaning “thunder”.