Hilda is one of several feminine

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...

s derived from the name ''Hild'', formed from

Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...

, meaning 'battle'. Hild, a Nordic-German Bellona, was a

Valkyrie In Norse mythology, a valkyrie ( or ; from ) is one of a host of female figures who guide souls of the dead to the god Odin's hall Valhalla. There, the deceased warriors become ('single fighters' or 'once fighters').Orchard (1997:36) and Li ...

who conveyed fallen warriors to

Valhalla In Norse mythology, Valhalla ( , ; , )Orchard (1997:171–172) is described as a majestic hall located in Asgard and presided over by the god Odin. There were five possible realms the soul could travel to after death. The first was Fólkvang ...

. Warfare was often called Hild's Game. Hilda of Whitby was an early Christian saint. Hylda is a spelling variant. Hilde is a variant of Hilda. Another variation on ''Hild'' is Hildur. Hildy is an English

nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...

. Ildikó is a Hungarian form of the name. Related names include Brunhilde,

Brynhild Brunhild, also known as Brunhilda or Brynhild ( , , or ), is a female character from Germanic heroic legend. She may have her origins in the Visigothic princess and queen Brunhilda of Austrasia. In the Norse tradition, Brunhild is a shield ...

, Hildebrand, Hildegard,

Gunhild Gunhild (with variants Gundhild, Gunhilda, Gunhilde, Gunhjild, Gunilda, Gunnhild, Gunnhildr, Gunnhildur) is a Germanic languages, Germanic feminine given name composed of two words meaning "war" (gunn and hild/hildr). Notable people with these nam ...

, Krimhild, and Mathilde.

Cultural influences

The name became rare in England during the later Middle Ages, but was revived in the 19th century. Several English-language popular 19th century novelists used the name Hilda for their heroines. Hilda Scarve was the romantic heroine of the 1842 novel '' The Miser's Daughter'' by William Harrison Ainsworth.

Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne (né Hathorne; July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion. He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associat ...

used the name Hilda for the innocent art student heroine of his 1860 novel '' The Marble Faun''. Hilda Van Gleck is a wealthy girl in Mary Mapes Dodge’s 1865 children’s novel '' Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates''. The hero wants to impress Hilda by winning a race. '' Hilda Wade'' by author

Grant Allen Charles Grant Blairfindie Allen (February 24, 1848 – October 25, 1899) was a Canadian science writer and novelist, educated in England. He was a public promoter of evolution in the second half of the nineteenth century. Biography Early life a ...

was published in 1900. In the crime fiction novel, heroine Hilda refuses to marry a man unless he helps solve the murder of her father. More recent cultural influences include the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

animated series '' Hilda'', which aired from 2018 to 2023, and characters in the 2013 video game '' The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds'' and the 2022 video game '' Asterigos: Curse of the Stars''.

Usage

In Sweden the name Hilda has been in use since the late 18th century, being a popular name throughout the 19th century. The name has come back into fashion in Sweden, where Hilda has been among the 100 most popular names for newborn Swedish girls since 2001. It is also currently well-used for girls in Finland, where Hilda has been among the 50 most popular names for Finnish girls since 2014. The name was also well-used in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in countries such as Brazil, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Latvia, New Zealand, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Hilda was the 198th most popular name for American girls born in 1880 in the United States. The name peaked in popularity in the United States in 1903, when it was the 88th most popular name for American girls. Hilda remained among the 1,000 most popular names for American girls until 1986. Between 1987 and 2017, the name was most commonly used among Hispanic American families. The name reached the lowest point of use in the United States in 2013, when it was used for 33 newborn American girls. There were 60 newborn American girls given the name in 2022 and 56 American girls given the name in 2023. Hilda is the name of:

People

* Hilda of Whitby (c. 614-680), English saint * Princess Hilda (disambiguation), various princesses * Hilda Bernard (1920–2022), Argentine stage, screen and television actress * Hilda Bernstein (1915–2006), author, artist, and anti-apartheid and women's rights activist * Hilda Borgström (1871–1954), Swedish actress * Hilda Bettermann (1942-2023), American politician * Hilda Braid (1929–2007), English actress * Hilda Mabel Canter (1922–2007), English mycologist, protozoologist, and photographer * Hilda Carline (1889-1950), British painter * Hilda Caselli (1836-1901), Swedish educational reformer * Hilda Clayton (1991-2013), American U.S. Army specialist and war photographer * Hilda Conkling (1910–1986), American poet * Hilda Dallas (1878–1958) and sister Irene Dallas (1883 -1971), British suffragettes * Hilda Eisen (1917–2017), a Polish-born American businessperson, philanthropist, and Holocaust survivor *

Hilda Ellis Davidson Hilda Roderick Ellis Davidson (born Hilda Roderick Ellis; 1 October 1914 – 12 January 2006) was an English folklorist. She was a scholar at the University of Cambridge and The Folklore Society, and specialized in the study of Celtic and G ...

(1914–2006), English antiquarian and academic * H. D. (1886–1961), born Hilda Doolittle, American poet, novelist and memoirist * Hilda de Duhalde (born 1946), Argentine politician * Hilda Fenemore (1914–2004), English actress * Hilda Grayson Finney (1913–1976), American educator * Hilda Gadea (1921-1974), Peruvian economist, communist leader, author, and Che Guevara's first wife * Hilda Gaunt (1906-1975), British pianist * Hilda Gaxiola (born 1972), Mexican beach volleyball player * Hilda Geiringer (1893–1973), Austrian mathematician and professor * Hilda Goldblatt Gorenstein (Hilgos) (1905–1998), American oil painter and watercolorist * Hilda Kay Grant (1910-1996), Canadian writer and artist * Hilda Habichayn (1934–2021), Argentine sociologist, created first master's program for women's studies in Latin America * Hilda Hewlett (1864–1943), first British woman aviator to earn a pilot's licence, and aviation entrepreneur *

Hilda Heine Hilda Cathy Heine (born 6 April 1951) is a Marshallese educator and politician. She has served as the president of the Marshall Islands since 2024, having previously served from 2016 to 2020. Heine was the first woman to lead any sovereign count ...

(born 1951), Marshallese educator and politician *

Hilda Hilst Hilda de Almeida Prado Hilst (21 April 1930 – 4 February 2004) was a Brazilian poet, novelist, and playwright. Her work touches on the themes of mysticism, insanity, the body, eroticism, and Sexual revolution, female sexual liberation. Hilst ...

(1930–2004), Brazilian poet, playwright and novelist * Hilda Phoebe Hudson (1881-1965), English mathematician * Hilda Jesser (1894 – 1985), Austrian artist and designer * Hilda Käkikoski (1864-1912), Finnish politician, writer and schoolteacher, one of the first nineteen women elected to parliament * Hilda Kibet (born 1981), Dutch long distance runner * Hilda Magdalena Licerio Valdés (born 1993), Mexican politician * Hilda Lovell-Smith (1886 - 1973), businesswoman and community organiser from New Zealand * Hilda Lund (1840–1911), Swedish ballerina * Hilda Molina (born 1943), chief neurosurgeon of Cuba and dissident * Hilda Mundy (1912-1980), Bolivian writer, poet, journalist * Hilda Rix Nicholas (1884-1961), Australian painter * Hilda Pérez Carvajal (1945–2019), Venezuelan biologist * Hilda Petrini (1838–1895), Swedish clock maker *

Hilda Pinnix-Ragland Hilda Pinnix-Ragland (born May 1955) is an American business executive and philanthropist. As the former Vice President of Corporate Public Affairs for Duke Energy, she was the first African-American woman to serve as a vice president at the comp ...

(born 1955), American business executive * H. F. M. Prescott (1896-1972), English author, academic and historian * Hilda Ramírez (born 1944), Cuban shot putter * Hilda Ramos (born 1964), Cuban discus thrower * Hilda Muhlhauser Richards (1885-1924), American federal labor official * Hilda Ross (1883-1959), New Zealand politician * Hilda Runciman, Viscountess Runciman of Doxford (1869–1956), British politician * Hilda Sachs (1857-1935), Swedish journalist and women's rights activist * Hilda Sandels (1830-1921), Swedish opera singer * Hilda Sjölin (1835–1915), Swedish photographer * Hilda Solis (born 1957), United States Secretary of Labor in the Obama administration * Hilda Crosby Standish (1902-2005), American birth control pioneer * Hilda Svensson (born 2006), Swedish ice hockey player * Hilda Tadria, Ugandan women's rights activist * Hilda Terry (1914–2006), American cartoonist, creator of the comic strip ''Teena'' * Hilda Vīka (1897–1963), Latvian artist and writer * Hilda Woodward (1913–1999), British Musician

Fictional characters

*Hilda, a heroine in

’s 1860 novel '' The Marble Faun'' * Hilda, title character in Luke Pearson's '' Hilda'' series * Hilda, the 36th hero in '' Mobile Legends: Bang Bang'' * Hilda, the female protagonist of the video game ''Pokémon Black'' and ''White'''' * Hilda, a minor character on the family television series ''

The Muppet Show ''The Muppet Show'' is a variety sketch comedy television series created by Jim Henson and starring the Muppets. It is presented as a variety show, featuring recurring sketches and musical numbers interspersed with ongoing plot-lines with ru ...

'' * Hilda or Hildegarde (''Beelzebub''), a main character in the manga ''Beelzebub'' * Hilda, a pinup girl created by Duane Bryers * Hilda, the protagonist of the 2022 video game '' Asterigos: Curse of the Stars'' * Hilda, the wife of Horace Rumpole, a character in the book and TV series ''

Rumpole of the Bailey ''Rumpole of the Bailey'' is a British television series created and written by the British writer and barrister John Mortimer. It starred Leo McKern as Horace Rumpole, a middle-aged London barrister who defended a broad variety of clients, ...

'' * Hilda Berg, an airplane boss who can shapeshift into a zeppelin from '' Cuphead'' * Dame Hilda Bracket, half of the opera singing female impersonation act "Hinge and Bracket" * Hilda Valentine Goneril, a character from the video game '' Fire Emblem: Three Houses'' * Princess Hilda of Lorule, a character from the video game '' The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds'' *

Hilda Ogden Hilda Ogden (also Crabtree) is a fictional character from the Television in the United Kingdom, British ITV (TV network), ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', one of the best-known of all the regular characters in the serial, whose name became ...

, from the British soap opera ''Coronation Street'' * Hilda Scarve, the heroine of the 1842 romantic novel '' The Miser's Daughter'' by William Harrison Ainsworth * Hilda Spellman, a main character in ''

Sabrina, the Teenage Witch ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' is a comic book series published by Archie Comics about the adventures of a fictional American teenager named Sabrina Spellman. Sabrina was created by writer George Gladir and artist Dan DeCarlo, and first appea ...

'' * Hilda Suarez, from the American television series ''

Ugly Betty ''Ugly Betty'' is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from September 28, 2006, to April 14, 2010. It is based on the Colombian telenovela ''Yo soy Betty, la fea' ...

'' * Hilda Van Gleck, a character in Mary Mapes Dodge’s 1865 children’s novel '' Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates'' *Hilda Wade, the heroine of the 1900 crime fiction novel '' Hilda Wade'' by author

* "Hot Ice" Hilda, a supporting character in the anime ''

Outlaw Star is a media franchise#Japan, Japanese media mix primarily consisting of an anime Television show, television series produced by Sunrise (now a division of Bandai Namco Filmworks) and a corresponding Seinen manga, ''seinen'' manga series w ...

'' * Polaris Hilda, the main antagonist of the Asgard arc in the anime ''

Saint Seiya , also known as ''Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac'' or simply ''Knights of the Zodiac'' (translated from the French title ''Les Chevaliers du Zodiaque''), is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada. It ...

'' * Hilda "Hurricane" Muller, the main protagonist of brazilian minisseries Hilda Furacão

Space

* 153 Hilda, a large asteroid in the Hilda group in the Solar System, named after one of the discoverer's daughters.

References