Edith

Once upon a time, the elements "ead", meaning "riches", and "gyo", meaning "war", untied to create a female name meaning "rich in war". That meaning made the name a perfect fit for medieval royalty. Medieval saints and queens, including St. Eadgyo of Wilton and Eadgyo Swan-Neck, had riches in a time when many people did not. 

Right before the twelfth century, the Norman Conquest occurred. William the Conqueror defeated King Harold II, who had a sister named Eadgyo. Eadgyo was coronated as a queen and supported the cult of Edward the Confessor. Not only did Queen Eadgyo survive the Norman Conquest, but her name also continued in usage. As of the twelfth century, Eadgyo became Edith in Modern English. 

Edith was one of the few Anglo-Saxon names to survive the Norman Conquest and, thus, the only one to be popular throughout the Middle Ages. It continued to be popular until the 17th century, after which it dropped out of the English top 50. As of 1700, the Middle Ages were long over, so was the name Edith. 

Over a century later in 1837, Queen Victoria took the throne. With the Victorian Era began a new fascination for all things medieval, including names like Edith. It appeared in the English top 100 from 1840 through the 1930s, ranking in the top 10 from the 1880s through the 1910s. These several British Ediths included poet Edith Sitwell (1887-1964), nurse Edith Cavell (1865-1915), author Edith (E.) Nesbitt (1858-1924), and doctor Edith Pechey (1845-1908). 

Before its English revival, Edith migrated to the newly independent United States. As of 1800, Edith was given to just 10 American girls; that number increased throughout the nineteenth century. By 1880, the first year the Social Security Administration kept name data, Edith was in the top 50. The United States housed its own famous namesakes such as former First Ladies Edith Roosevelt (1861-1948) and Edith Wilson (1872-1961); author Edith Wharton (1862-1937), and social worker Edith Abbott (1876-1957). 

As Edith declined in England once again, it slipped in use in the United States. During the 1940s, Edith was no longer a top 100 hit in either nation. However, while Edith completely fell out of use in England, Edith remained in the American top 1000 every year since 1880. Perhaps it never ranked below the 800s. However, this does not make Edith timeless. 

In the early 1970s, the TV sitcom All in the Family premiered. Edith Bunker, the frumpy wife of Archie, signaled that her name was out of date. While Edith bounced between the 500s and 600s during the 1980s and 1990s, it declined sharply during the 2000s; it hit its all-time low by the end of that decade. During the time, parents who grew up watching All in the Family could only imagine the name on old ladies. Plus, young girls with the name were probably ridiculed for having an "old grandma" name. 

It all changed during the last decade, though. The finale for All in the Family occurred in 1979, meaning that parents born in the 1980s are less likely to remember Edith Bunker. Plus, more positive pop culture associations for the name arose; the PBS historical TV series Downton Abbey and the Illumination movie Despicable ME, both of which featured Ediths, premiered in 2010. 

As of 2017, Edith is back in the English top 100. In the United States, Edith jumped from the 800s to the top 500 between 2010 and 2020 and is holding stable between the upper 400s and lower 500s. Yet, Edith is more popular in Sweden than anywhere in the English world, ranking in their top 50.

Today, Edith qualifies, not as a rediscovered classic like Lucy and Alice, but as a mere vintage charmer beginning to feel acceptable again. It's cute with its long "ee" sound and dainty "ith" ending; short form "Edie" sounds even cuter. However, it's also serious, having been worn by several historical women. Even though it fails to count as a classic, Edith retains a saintly and regal feel. 

SPELLINGS:

Eadith

NICKNAMES:

Edie

STYLES:

Formal, Vintage

SISTERS:

Alma, Emmeline, Florence, Leona, Mavis, Pearl, Vera, Winifred 

BROTHERS:

Basil, Chester, Ira, Jules, Louis, Otto, Theodore, Winston

ALTERNATIVES:

Ardith, Dorothea, Elspeth, Enid, Freda, Ida, Prudence, Theda

FURTHER RESOURCES:

"Edith." Names, Behind the Name, 7 Dec. 2022, https://www.behindthename.com/name/edith. 

"Edith." Oh Baby! Names, 2014, https://ohbabynames.com/all-baby-names/edith/. 

Nickerson, Eleanor. "Name of the Week: Edith." Names of the Week, British Baby Names, 29 Apr. 2017, https://www.britishbabynames.com/blog/2017/04/name-of-the-week-edith.html. 

Rosenkrantz, Linda. "Edith." Baby Girl Names, Nameberry, 15 Aug. 2024, https://nameberry.com/b/girl-baby-name-edith. 

Sandel, Abby. "Edith: Baby Name of the Day." Master List: Girl Names, Appellation Mountain, 18 Nov. 2013, https://appellationmountain.net/name-of-the-day-edith/. 

What do you think about Edith?