Edith

This article is about the female given name. For other uses, see Edith (disambiguation).
Edith
GenderFemale
Origin
Word/nameOld English
MeaningProsperity, wealth and strife.
Other names
Related namesDitte, Edit, Edie, Edythe

Edith is a feminine given name derived from the Old English word ēad, meaning wealth or prosperity, in combination with the Old English gȳð, meaning strife,[1] and is in common usage in this form in English, German, many Scandinavian languages and Dutch. Its French form is Édith. Contractions and variations of this name include Ditte, Dita, and Edie.

It was a common first name prior to the 16th century, when it fell out of favour. It became popular again at the beginning of the 19th century and has remained in steady use. It has been among the top hundred most popular names for newborn girls in England and Wales since 2017.[2] It has been among the top 1,000 names for girls in the United States since 1880 and was among the top 50 names for American girls between 1880 and 1927, the height of its popularity. It was ranked as the 513th most popular name for American newborn girls in 2022, according to the Social Security online database.[3] It was the 518th most popular name for newborn girls in Canada in 2021, with 55 uses that year.[4]

The name Edith has five name days: May 14 in Estonia, January 13 in the Czech Republic, October 31 in Sweden, July 5 in Latvia, and September 16 in France, Hungary, Poland and Lithuania.

  1. ^ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006). Oxford Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. p. 24. ISBN 0-19-861060-2.
  2. ^ Campbell, Mike. "Popularity of Name Edith in England and Wales". behindthename.com. Behind the Name. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  3. ^ "Popularity of Name Edith". www.ssa.gov. United States Social Security Administration. 12 May 2023. Archived from the original on 2 February 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  4. ^ "First names at birth by sex at birth, selected indicators". www150.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. 9 May 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2023.