Name of the Week: Hilda

Origin:

Hilda is the Latinised form of Hild, an Anglo-Saxon name derived from the Old English hild meaning "battle". In some cases, Hild may have been a hypocoristic form of longer names (both masculine and feminine) containing the element hild such as Hildgýð, Hildegard or Hildebehrt and Hildulf. Hilda also served as a Latinised form for the Norse cognate Hildr and Germanic cognate Hilde.

Usage:

The Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England (PASE) database has four examples of Hild in use in Anglo-Saxon Britain; one female, three male.  Unlike many Anglo-Saxon names, Hilda managed to survive the Norman Conquest as a feminine name, mostly thanks to the veneration of Saint Hild (or Hilda) of Whitby (c. 614-680).  Hild's story is quite a remarkable one. Born to a noble family, she was baptised at 13 and made the decision to become a nun in her 30s. She soon became the Abbess of Hartlepool and spent seven years building a new monastery (for both men and women) at Whitby which she was in charge of for thirty years. Under Hild's guidance, many members of her monastery went on to become important clerical figures. Five of her monks became bishops, and she was so respected, that kings and princes are said to have sought her counsel. "She [...] taught there the strict observance of justice, piety, chastity, and other virtues, and particularly of peace and charity; so that, after the example of the primitive church, no person was there rich, and none poor, all being in common to all, and none having any property. Her prudence was so great, that not only indifferent persons, but even kings and princes, as occasion offered, asked and received her advice" (Ecclesiastical History, Book 4, Chapter XXIII).* In 664, Hild hosted the Synod of Whitby which sought to resolve issues between the Celtic and Roman religious calendars. This Synod, which Hild presided over like an Archbishop, shaped the way Christianity developed in England.  The main source for Hild's life is recorded by Bede who describes her life as "an example of the works of light."* His final words about her were: "Thus this servant of Christ, Abbess Hilda, whom all that knew her called Mother, for her singular piety and grace, was not only an example of good life, to those that lived in her monastery, but afforded occasion of amendment and salvation to many who lived at a distance, to whom the fame was brought of her industry and virtue."* The veneration of Hild as a saint dates to the 8th century when Bede wrote of her. Accordingly, several legends grew up around her such as a miraculous dream that her mother had when she was a baby, or how she turned a plague of snakes at Whitby into stone [these later turned out to be fossils on the coast].  She is considered one of the patron saints of learning and culture, and her feast day (depending on which denomination) is the 17th, 18th or 19th November.  Though Hilda was not especially common in the Middle Ages, it was in enough use to leave us with the surname Hild.  The Lincolnshire Danelaw Documents of 1154-89 list a Hilda de Tidintun and the Pipe Rolls of Oxfordshire has a Hilda de Gay in 1192.  It became uncommon after the 13th century but remained in use in the Whitby area thanks to Saint Hilda.  Elsewhere in the world, Hilda also saw use in Scandinavia. Nordic Names tracks the earliest recorded use for Hilda in Norway in the 14th century. It was well used in Sweden in the 19th century and many of the earliest famous Hildas are Swedish.  In the 19th century, Hilda has a revival in Britain in the late 19th century, rocketing in popularity by the 1890s. Much of this was thanks to the Tractarian Movement which popularised saints names, and the Victorian love of Medievalism.  Data from the 1881 census (see image, right) shows Hilda was well established across England and the South of Wales, but less common in Scotland. In 1900, Hilda was #94 in Scotland and #16 in England and Wales.  Records for Hilda from the England and Wales Birth Index: 1840: 1850:  1860:  1870:  1880:  1890: 1900: 1904: 1914: 1924: 1934: 1944: 1954: 1964: 1974: 1984: 1994: >#300 >#300 #261 #128 #71 #27 #16 #14 #15 #26 #61 __ __ __ __ __ __ Since 1996 in England and Wales, Hilda has been rare, ranking below the top 1000.  It has seen a moderate rise in use since 2009, peaking at #2341 with 11 births in 2017.  In 2018, Hilda ranked #3985 (5 births) in England and Wales. It had no births in Scotland or Northern Ireland.  Elsewhere, Hilda ranked #99 in Sweden and #37 in Finland in 2018.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Saint Hilda of Whitby (c. 614-680), a significant figure in the history of English Christianity. * Hilda Sandels (1830-1921), Swedish opera singer. * Hilda Sjölin (1835–1915), Swedish photographer. * Hilda Caselli (1836-1901), Swedish educational reformer. * Hilda Petrini (1838–1895), Swedish clockmaker and first female master of mechanics in Sweden. * Hilda Lund (1840–1911), Swedish ballerina. * Hilda Sachs (1857-1935), Swedish journalist and women's rights activist. * Princess Hilda of Nassau (1864–1952), the last Grand Duchess of Baden. * Hilda Hewlett (1864–1943), first British woman aviator to earn a pilot's licence, and aviation entrepreneur. * Hilda Käkikoski (1864-1912), Finnish politician, writer and schoolteacher, one of the first nineteen women elected to parliament. * Hilda Runciman, Viscountess Runciman of Doxford (1869–1956), British politician. * Hilda Borgström (1871–1954), Swedish actress. * Hilda Phoebe Hudson (1881-1965), English mathematician. * Hilda Ross (1883-1959), New Zealand politician. * Hilda Rix Nicholas (1884-1961), Australian painter. * Hilda Doolittle (1886–1961), American poet, novelist and memoirist. * Hilda Geiringer (1893–1973), Austrian mathematician and professor. * Hilda "H. F. M." Prescott (1896-1972), English author, academic and historian. * Hilda Conkling (1910–1986), American poet. * Hilda Ellis Davidson (1914–2006), English antiquarian and academic. * Hilda Fenemore (1914–2004), English actress. * Hilda Bernstein (1915–2006), South African author, artist, and anti-apartheid and women's rights activist. Contemporary: * Hilda Braid (1929–2007), English actress. * Hilda Hilst (1930–2004), Brazilian poet, playwright and novelist. * Hilda de Duhalde (born 1946), Argentine politician. * Hilda Ramos (born 1964), Cuban discus thrower. * Hilda Gaxiola (born 1972), Mexican beach volleyball player. * Hilda Kibet (born 1981), Dutch long-distance runner. Literature and Other Media: * Hilda Spellman, a principle character in Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. * Hilda Suarez, a character from the American television series Ugly Betty. * Hilda, the title character in Luke Pearson's Hilda series. * Hilda Ogden, a character from the British soap opera Coronation Street (1964-1987). * Hilda, the female protagonist of Pokémon Black and White. * Princess Hilda of Lorule, a character from The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds.

Variants:

Hilde (German, Dutch, Norwegian), Hildr (Norse)

Pronunciation:

HILD-ə [key]

Possible  diminutives:

Hildy, Hillie

Sibling Names:

Agnes     Freda     Maud     Avril     Kathleen     Ingrid  Lloyd     Gilbert     Francis     Edwin     Wilbur     Percival

Name Lists:

Funky-Clunky    Victorian Darlings    Roaring Twenties    Scandi-Familiars    Enid Blyton Names

 

If you like Hilda you may also like:   Phyllis, Doris, Muriel, Tilda, Rita, Ethel, Priscilla, Rhoda, Mildred, Zelda

Thanks to Stephanie for requesting this name.