Judith (given name)

Judith
Pronunciationdʒu-dɪθ
GenderFemale
Language(s)Hebrew
Name daycelebrated on the day of St. Judith
Origin
Word/nameHebrew
Meaning"praised" or "Woman of Judea"
Region of originHebrew
Other names
Alternative spellingDitte (Danish), Ditka (Slovene), and Giuditta (Italian)
Nickname(s)Judy or Judi
Jody
Related namesJudy, Judah
Popularitysee popular names
[1]

Judith is a feminine given name derived from the Hebrew name Yəhūdīt (יְהוּדִית), meaning "praised" and also more literally "Woman of Judea". It is the feminine form of Judah. Judith appeared in the Hebrew Bible as one of Esau's wives, while the deuterocanonical Book of Judith tells of a different Judith.[2] It is in common usage in English, French, German, many Scandinavian languages, Dutch, and Hebrew. In Ethiopia and Eritrea it is called Yodit.

The name was among the top 50 most popular given names for girls born in the United States between 1936 and 1956, but its popularity has since declined. It was the 893rd most popular name for baby girls born in the United States in 2012, down from 74th in 1960.[3]

Name variants

Alternative forms of the name Judith include:

People

Fictional characters

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Judith – Meaning and origin of the name Judith
  2. ^ "Behind the Name - Given Name JUDITH". Archived from the original on 2008-05-15. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
  3. ^ "Behind the Name - Popularity for Judith in the United States". Archived from the original on 2007-12-25. Retrieved 2008-05-19.