E. G. Withycombe in
The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names thinks the Hodierna comes from a Latin word used in the phrase
Deus qui hodierna die, which began the liturgy for the Feast of
Epiphany in medieval Catholic churches, and that the name may have originally been given to children born at that time of year. The Latin word
hodierna itself seems to mean "today's".
I would think Ioveta is probably an alternative spelling of
Jovita, since back then "I" and "J" were often used interchangeably in spelling.
This message was edited 10/5/2009, 11:12 AM