Ladybugs have also got the names like ladybirds or lady beetles, though people mostly call them ladybugs. They are one of those rare species of insects that we humans don’t dislike much, because they are known to eat things that destroy our crops. But how did this little crawly insect get this name?
The more surprising thing is that these tiny beetles have ”Lady” in their name. At first, it feels like there’s no particular reason why we call them Ladybugs. But when you dig deep into history books, you’ll find they haven’t named ladybugs because they have the female trait. Instead, this name came after a lady – The Virgin Mary.
The history behind the name
They got their name nearly 500 years ago. In Europe, farmers were having issues with insects known as aphids. The aphids were drinking out all the juices from grapevines. So the farmers in Europe started praying to the Virgin Mary for help.
Later on, lots of beetles came and ate all the aphids and saved the farmer’s corps. The farmers thought the Virgin Mary had answered their prayers and sent these beetles to help them. At that point in time, people had all the reasons to have such a belief.
The farmers then named the helpful red Beetles in honor of the Virgin Mary, who is also called Our Lady. They started calling the beetles as the Beetles of Our Lady, and with time people started calling them ladybugs/ladybirds.
People all over Europe believed Ladybug was a gift from Mary, and almost every country in Europe ended up naming these beetles after Lady Mary, or God.
The earliest mention of Beetles as a ladybird was noticed back in 1674, according to the Oxford English Dictionary.
So, to conclude, the reason why Ladybugs are called Ladybugs is because most people believe that the Virgin Mary sent them to help out farmers and save their crops.
