Girl · Old High German
Hedwig
Say it: HAYD-vikh
Meaning
From Germanic hadu 'battle, strife' and wig 'battle'.
Certainscholars agree on this meaning.
Spread into Poland and Central Europe through the cult of Saint Hedwig of Silesia.
Its wave through time
Fading since the 1890s
In the United States
- 3,077 babies given this name since 1880
- At its height in 1891, about 1 in 3,900 girls
- Fewer than 5 babies a year in 2020
Through the ages
- The High and Late Middle Ages1100 to 1450
- The Renaissance1400 to 1600
- Victorian and Belle Époque1837 to 1914
- The Modern Age1880 to today
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Hedy, Hadwig
| Polish | Jadwiga |
|---|---|
| Swedish | Hedvig |
| French | Edwige |
| Czech | Hedvika |
| Italian | Edvige |
| Hungarian | Hedvig |
Famous bearers
- Saint Hedwig of Silesia, duchess
- Jadwiga, king of Poland
- Hedy Lamarr (born Hedwig Kiesler), actress and inventor
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- Royal and noble genealogies
- Calendars of saints and name days
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.