Enid ( ; ) is a feminine given name. The origin is

Middle Welsh Middle Welsh ( cy, Cymraeg Canol, wlm, Kymraec) is the label attached to the Welsh language of the 12th to 15th centuries, of which much more remains than for any earlier period. This form of Welsh developed directly from Old Welsh ( cy, Hen ...

''eneit'', meaning "spirit, life" (from

Proto-Celtic Proto-Celtic, or Common Celtic, is the ancestral proto-language of all known Celtic languages, and a descendant of Proto-Indo-European. It is not attested in writing but has been partly reconstructed through the comparative method. Proto-Celt ...

''*ana-ti̯o-'', compare

Gaulish Gaulish was an ancient Celtic language spoken in parts of Continental Europe before and during the period of the Roman Empire. In the narrow sense, Gaulish was the language of the Celts of Gaul (now France, Luxembourg, Belgium, most of Switzerl ...

''anatia'' "souls" attested on the

Larzac tablet The Larzac tablet is a lead curse tablet found in 1983 in the commune of L'Hospitalet-du-Larzac, Aveyron, southern France. It is now kept in the museum of Millau. It bears one of the most important inscriptions in the Gaulish language. The in ...

, ultimately from the

Proto-Indo-European root The roots of the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European language (PIE) are basic parts of words that carry a lexical meaning, so-called morphemes. PIE roots usually have verbal meaning like "to eat" or "to run". Roots never occurred alone in the la ...

''*h₂enh₁-'' "to breathe, blow"; ''cf.'' the modern Welsh '' anadl'', "breath" or "wind"). Alternatively Enid is derived from ''Enaid'' or ''Enit'' meaning "woodlark". Enid was the Celtic goddess and Arthurian name of the 19th century following Alfred Lord Tennyson's

Arthurian King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as ...

epic '' Idylls of the King'' (1859) and its

medieval Welsh Middle Welsh ( cy, Cymraeg Canol, wlm, Kymraec) is the label attached to the Welsh language of the 12th to 15th centuries, of which much more remains than for any earlier period. This form of Welsh developed directly from Old Welsh ( cy, Hen G ...

source, the ''

Mabinogi The ''Mabinogion'' () are the earliest Welsh prose stories, and belong to the Matter of Britain. The stories were compiled in Middle Welsh in the 12th–13th centuries from earlier oral traditions. There are two main source manuscripts, create ...

'' tale of ''

Geraint and Enid Geraint () is a character from Welsh folklore and Arthurian legend, a valiant warrior possibly related to the historical Geraint, an early 8th-century king of Dumnonia. It is also the name of a 6th-century Dumnonian saint king from Briton ha ...

''. Enid drifted into popular use in Britain in the 1890s, becoming most popular in the 1920s. Then it was the greatest possible compliment to be called a "second Enid", since the original was a legendary romantic figure of spotless perfection and courage in life. Enid was the quiet, brave, steadfast character of Tennyson's poem, loved deeply by many, yet her love or loyalty to her husband was unwavering, even at his worst.

People

* Enid Dame (1943–2003), American poet *

Enid Luff Enid Luff (21 February 1935 – 19 February 2022) was a Welsh musician, music educator, and composer. Biography Luff was born in Ebbw Vale, Wales, and trained as a pianist. She was educated at the University of Wales and Cambridge and graduated w ...

(born 1935), Welsh musician *

Enid Wyn Jones Enid Wyn Jones (17 January 1909 – 15 September 1967) was a Welsh nurse. Jones was born in Wrexham, the daughter of Dr. David Llewelyn Williams and Margaret Williams. Just before World War I, she moved with her family to Cardiff but re-loc ...

(1909–1967), Welsh nurse *

Enid Morgan Enid Morgan is a former international lawn and indoor bowls competitor for Wales. Bowls career In 1977 Morgan won the gold medal in the triples with Margaret Pomeroy and Joan Osborne, a bronze medal in the fours with Pomeroy, Osborne and Janet ...

, Welsh former international lawn and indoor bowls competitor *

Enid MacRobbie Enid Anne Campbell MacRobbie, (born 5 December 1931) is a Scottish plant scientist who is Emeritus Professor of Plant Biophysics at the University of Cambridge and a Life Fellow of Girton College.https://www.girton.cam.ac.uk/people/professor-en ...

(born 1931), Scottish plant scientist * Enid Riddell (1903–1980), British socialite and racing driver * Enid Marx (1902–1998), English painter and designer *

Enid Stacy Enid Stacy (10 June 1868 – 4 September 1903) was an English socialist activist. Stacy was born on 10 June 1868 in Westbury, Gloucestershire, the eldest of the Irish painter Henry Stacy and his wife Rose Deeley's four children. The family moved ...

(1868–1903), English socialist activist * Enid Bagnold (1889–1981), British author and playwright * Enid Bakewell (born 1940), English cricketer * Enid Bennett (1893–1969), Australian-born American silent film actress *

Enid Blyton Enid Mary Blyton (11 August 1897 – 28 November 1968) was an English children's writer, whose books have been worldwide bestsellers since the 1930s, selling more than 600 million copies. Her books are still enormously popular and have be ...

(1897–1968), British children's writer * Enid Campbell (1932–2010), Australian legal scholar and law professor *

Enid Derham Enid Derham (24 March 1882 – 13 November 1941, age 59) was an Australian poet and academic. Life Derham was born in Hawthorn, Melbourne, Victoria, the eldest daughter of Thomas Plumley Derham, solicitor, and his wife Ellen Hyde, née Hod ...

(1882–1941), Australian poet and academic * Enid Evans (1914–2011), New Zealand librarian *

Enid Greene Enid Greene Mickelsen, formerly Enid Greene Waldholtz (born June 5, 1958), is an American politician from the state of Utah who served one term in the United States House of Representatives. She was the third woman and first Republican woman elec ...

(born 1958), American politician * Enid A. Haupt (1906–2005), American publisher and philanthropist * Enid Kent, played Nurse Bigelow, a recurring character in the television series ''M*A*S*H'' *

Enid Bosworth Lorimer May Enid Bosworth Nunn OAM (27 November 188715 July 1982), known professionally as Enid Lorimer and also as a publisher of children's literature under the pen name Ellen Bosworth, was a British-born Australian film, stage, television and radio ...

(1887–1982), Australian actress and director *

Enid Charles Enid Charles (29 December 1894 – 26 March 1972) was a British socialist, feminist and statistician who was a pioneer in the fields of demography and population statistics. She was born Dorothy Enid Charles in Denbigh, Wales. She obtained a ...

(1894–1972), British socialist, feminist and statistician *

Enid Mark Enid Mark (1932 in New York City – September 30, 2008 in Philadelphia) was an American artist and small-press publisher. Life She attended the High School of Music & Art in Manhattan and Smith College, where she studied English literature and ...

(1932–2008), American editor and publisher *

Enid Legros-Wise Enid Legros-Wise (born 1943) is a Canadian ceramic artist working mainly in porcelain. Early life She was born in 1943 in Gaspé, Quebec. She studied at the École des beaux-arts de Montréal, from 1961 to 1964 and then at the Institut des Art ...

(born 1943), Canadian ceramic artist * Enid Lyons (1897–1981), Australian politician and wife of Prime Minister Joseph Lyons *

Enid Markey Enid Markey (February 22, 1894 – November 15, 1981) was an American theatre, film, radio, and television actress, whose career spanned over 50 years, extending from the early 1900s to the late 1960s. In movies, she was the first performer ...

(1894–1981), American actress *

Enid Johnson Macleod Enid Johnson Macleod (1909 – 17 May 2001) was a Canadian anaesthetist and medical doctor. Biography Gladys Enid Johnson was born in Jacksonville, New Brunswick, Canada, 1909. She spent much of her early life in Nova Scotia. She graduated from ...

(1909–2001), Canadian anaesthetist, medical doctor and academic *

(born 1931), Scottish plant scientist *

Enid Mumford Enid Mumford (6 March 1924 – 7 April 2006) was a British social scientist, computer scientist and Professor Emerita of Manchester University and a visiting fellow at Manchester Business School, largely known for her work on human factors an ...

(1924–2006), British professor largely known for her work on human factors and socio-technical systems * Enid Nemy, reporter and columnist for ''The New York Times'' * Enid

Diana Rigg Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg (20 July 193810 September 2020) was an English actress of stage and screen. Her roles include Emma Peel in the TV series ''The Avengers'' (1965–1968); Countess Teresa di Vicenzo, wife of James Bond, in ''On He ...

(1938–2020), English actress *

Enid Lapthorn Miss Enid Lapthorn (23 July 1889 – 18 November 1967), was a British Liberal Party and later Liberal National politician. Background She was the eldest daughter of Thomas Henry Field Lapthorn J.P. and Elsie May Nicholson of Southsea in Hampsh ...

(1889–1967), British politician * Enid Starkie (1897–1970), Irish literary critic * Enid Stamp Taylor (1904–1946), English actress * Enid Yandell (1870–1934), American sculptor *

Enid Tahirović Enid Tahirović (born July 22, 1972) is a Bosnian former handballer. He was once considered one of the top goalkeepers in the Bundesliga. He last played in Germany for HSV Hamburg, after having spent four seasons at Frisch Auf Göppingen Turn ...

(born 1972), Bosnian handball goalkeeper * Enid Kent (born 1945), American former television actress *

Enid Shomer Enid Shomer is an American poet and fiction writer. She is the author of five poetry collections, two short story collections and a novel. Her poems have appeared in literary journals and magazines including ''The Atlantic Monthly, Poetry, Paris R ...

, American poet *

Enid Gilchrist Enid Beatrice Gilchrist OAM (died 17 October 2007, age 90) was an Australian fashion designer, who became well known for her numerous self-drafting sewing pattern books which were very popular in the 1950s to 1970s. Enid studied dress design a ...

, Australian fashion designer * Enid Bishop (born 1925), Australian librarian *

Enid Lakeman Enid Lakeman, OBE (28 November 1903 – 7 January 1995) was a British political reformer, writer and politician, noted for her long-standing championship of the Single Transferable Vote system of elections. Biography She was born and brought up ...

(1903–1995), British political reformer, writer and politician *

Enid Crow Enid Crow (born 1968), is an American feminist artist who is best known for the Disaster Series, a series of self-portrait photographs. She has had solo shows at A.I.R. Gallery (NYC), Holocene (Portland), and Constance Art Gallery (Iowa). Her pho ...

(born 1968), American feminist artist * Enid Hibbard(1889–1960), American screenwriter *

Enid Greene Mickelsen Enid Greene Mickelsen, formerly Enid Greene Waldholtz (born June 5, 1958), is an American politician from the state of Utah who served one term in the United States House of Representatives. She was the third woman and first Republican woman elec ...

(born 1958), American politician * Enid Hattersley (1904–2001), British politician *

Enid Tapsell Enid Marguerite Hamilton Tapsell (1903–1975) was a notable New Zealand nurse, community leader, activist, writer, and local politician. Biography She was born in Hamilton, Waikato, New Zealand in 1903. Tapsell married into the Te Ara ...

(1903–1975), New Zealander nurse, community leader, writer and local politician * Enid Szánthó (1907–1997), Hungarian opera singer *

Enid Bakashaba Enid may refer to: Places *Enid, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Enid, Oklahoma, a city * 13436 Enid, an asteroid *Enid Lake, Mississippi Given name *Enid (given name), a Welsh female given name and a list of people and fictional charac ...

(born 1993), Ugandan Telecom Engineer

Fictional characters

* Enid, a character in ''

OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes ''OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes'' is an American animated television series created by Ian Jones-Quartey for Cartoon Network. The show is based on Jones-Quartey's pilot ''Lakewood Plaza Turbo'', which was released as part of Cartoon Network's 2013 Su ...

'' * Enid, a character in ''The Walking Dead'' * " Enid", a

Barenaked Ladies Barenaked Ladies is a Canadian rock band formed in 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario. The band developed a following in Canada, with their Barenaked Ladies (EP), self-titled 1991 cassette becoming the first independent release to be certified gold i ...

song * Enid or " Enide" (an

Old French Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intelligi ...

variant of ''Enid''), a heroine in

Arthurian legend The Matter of Britain is the body of medieval literature and legendary material associated with Great Britain and Brittany and the legendary kings and heroes associated with it, particularly King Arthur. It was one of the three great Weste ...

s * Enid, great-aunt of Neville Longbottom from J. K. Rowling's ''

Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, all of whom are students a ...

'' series *E nid an Gleanna (Daisy of the Valleys), an alias of Francesca Findabair, a character in ''

The Witcher ''The Witcher'' ( pl, Wiedźmin ) is a series of six fantasy novels and 15 short stories written by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. The series revolves around the eponymous "witcher", Geralt of Rivia. In Sapkowski's works, "witchers" are b ...

'' saga by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. *

Enid Coleslaw ''Ghost World'' is a graphic novel by Daniel Clowes. It was serialized in issues #11–18 (June 1993 – March 1997) of Clowes's comic book series '' Eightball'', and was published in book form in 1997 by Fantagraphics Books. It was a commer ...

, the lead character of the 1997 comic book '' Ghost World'' and its 2001 film adaptation * Tracy Enid Flick, character in the 1998 novel

Election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...

and 1999 film portrayed by

Reese Witherspoon Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon (born March 22, 1976) is an American actress and producer. The recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards, she ...

* Enid Frick, editor of ''Vogue'' magazine on TV's ''

Sex and the City ''Sex and the City'' is an American romantic comedy-drama television series created by Darren Star for HBO. An adaptation of Candace Bushnell's newspaper column and 1996 book anthology of the same name, the series premiered in the United St ...

'' * Enid Wexler, a feminist law student in the movie '' Legally Blonde'' (2001) * Enid Kelso, character in TV's '' Scrubs'' * Enid Nightshade, a character in ''The Worst Witch'' series of children's books *

Enid Rollins ''Sweet Valley High'' is a series of young adult novels attributed to American author Francine Pascal, who presided over a team of ghostwriters to produce the series. The books chronicle the lives of identical twins Jessica and Elizabeth Wakef ...

, a best friend of twin in the ''

Sweet Valley High ''Sweet Valley High'' is a series of young adult novels attributed to American author Francine Pascal, who presided over a team of ghostwriters to produce the series. The books chronicle the lives of identical twins Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefiel ...

'' and ''Sweet Valley University'' book series and TV show. * Enid Sinclair, a supporting eccentric werewolf character in ''Wednesday'' (2022)

Places

* Enid, city in Oklahoma *

Enid Lake Enid Lake is a lake that is located mostly in Yalobusha County in the U.S. state of Mississippi. Parts of it extend into Panola and Lafayette counties. Common fish species include crappie, largemouth bass, catfish and bream. Enid Lake holds t ...

, lake in Mississippi * Enid Lake, small lake in Oregon on

Mount Hood Mount Hood is a potentially active stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc. It was formed by a subduction zone on the Pacific coast and rests in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located about east-southeast of Portl ...

, popular with snowshoers

References

{{given name English feminine given names Welsh feminine given names