Save Gender Feminine Usage Italian Pronounced Pron. /spe.ˈran.t͡sa/ [key·simplify] Meaning & HistoryExpand Links Italian cognate of Esperanza. Edmund Spenser used it in his epic poem The Faerie Queene (1590) for the sister of Fidelia. It was also assumed as a pen name by the Irish poet Lady Wilde (1821-1896), the mother of Oscar Wilde. Related NamesFamily Tree·Details Other Languages & CulturesEsperança(Catalan) Esperanta(Esperanto) Espérance(French) Sperantia(Late Roman) Esperança(Portuguese) Esperanza(Spanish) Categories authors, conductors, Edmund Spenser characters, educators, hope, literature, pianists