Judith is a 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 ...

derived from the

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

name ''Yəhūdīt'' (יְהוּדִית), meaning "praised" and also more literally "Woman of

Judea Judea or Judaea (; ; , ; ) is a mountainous region of the Levant. Traditionally dominated by the city of Jerusalem, it is now part of Palestine and Israel. The name's usage is historic, having been used in antiquity and still into the pres ...

". It is the feminine form of Judah.

Judith The Book of Judith is a deuterocanonical book included in the Septuagint and the Catholic Church, Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Christian Old Testament of the Bible but Development of the Hebrew Bible canon, excluded from the ...

appeared in the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
. '' Esau Esau is the elder son of Isaac in the Hebrew Bible. He is mentioned in the Book of Genesis and by the minor prophet, prophets Obadiah and Malachi. The story of Jacob and Esau reflects the historical relationship between Israel and Edom, aiming ...

's wives, while the deuterocanonical

Book of Judith The Book of Judith is a deuterocanonical book included in the Septuagint and the Catholic Church, Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Christian Old Testament of the Bible but Development of the Hebrew Bible canon, excluded from the ...

tells of a different Judith. It is in common usage in English, French,

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, many Scandinavian languages, Dutch, and

. In Ethiopia and Eritrea it is called Yodit. The name was among the top 50 most popular given names for girls born in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

between 1936 and 1956, but its popularity has since declined. It was the 893rd most popular name for baby girls born in the United States in 2012, down from 74th in 1960.

Name variants

Alternative forms of the name Judith include: *Ditte ( Danish) *Ditka ( Slovene) *Giuditta (

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

) *Iudita ( Romanian) *Iúidit ( Irish) *Jitka (

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

) *Jodi ( English) *Jodie ( English) *Jody ( English) *Judeta (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

) *Judina (

) *

Judit Judit is a feminine given name of Hungarian and Catalan origin related to Judith. Notable people with the name include: * Judit Bar-Ilan (1958–2019), Israeli computer scientist * Judit Elek (born 1937), Hungarian film director and screenwriter * ...

( Catalan), ( Danish), ( Hungarian), ( Norwegian), (

), ( Swedish) *Judita ( Croatian), (

), ( Lithuanian), ( Slovak), ( Slovene), (

) *Judite ( Portuguese) *Judīte ( Latvian) *Juditha ( French) *Judithe ( French) *Judyta ( Polish) *Juta (

Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also

...

) *Jutka ( Dutch), ( Hungarian) *Jutta (

) *Jutte ( Dutch), (

) *Juut ( Dutch) *Jytte ( Danish) *Siobhán ( Irish) *Siùbhan (

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...

) *Yodit (

Amharic Amharic is an Ethio-Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amhara people, and also serves as a lingua franca for all other metropolitan populati ...

) *Yudit ( Indonesian) *Джудит Djudit (

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

) *Јудита Judita ( Serbian) *הודעס Hudes (

Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

) *Иудифь Iudif’ (

) *Ιουδίθ Iudith (

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

) *יהודית Y'hudit (

) *يهوديت Yahudit (

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

) *יהודית Yehudit (

) *יידעל Yidel (

) *יודעל Yudel (

) *Юдифь Yudif’ (

) *יוטקע Yutke (

)

People

* Queen Judith (disambiguation), a number of medieval women * Judith, heroine of the ''

'', one of the books included in the

Biblical apocrypha The Biblical apocrypha () denotes the collection of ancient books, some of which are believed by some to be of doubtful origin, thought to have been written some time between 200 BC and 100 AD. The Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Ori ...

Judith of Bavaria (died 843) Judith of Bavaria ( 797 – 19 April 843) was the Carolingian empress as the second wife of Louis the Pious. Marriage to Louis marked the beginning of her rise as an influential figure in the Carolingian court. She had two children with Louis, Gi ...

, Frankish queen * Judith of Friuli (fl. 881), daughter of Eberhard *

Judith of Flanders Judith of Flanders (c. 843 – 870 or later) was a Carolingian princess who became Queen of Wessex by two successive marriages and later Countess of Flanders. Judith was the eldest child of the Carolingian emperor Charles the Bald and his fir ...

(c. 843–c. 870), Princess of the Carolingian Franks, Queen of Wessex, Countess of Flanders *

Judith of Schweinfurt Judith of Schweinfurt (; before 1003 – 2 August 1058) was List of Bohemian consorts, Duchess consort of Bohemia from 1034 until 1055, by her marriage with the Přemyslid dynasty, Přemyslid duke Bretislav I.Herwig Wolfram, ''Conrad II, 990-1039 ...

(fl. 1003–1058), wife of Bretislaus I of Bohemia * Gudit (fl. 960), queen who sacked Axum, now in Ethiopia; also known as Judith or Yudit * Zewditu I (1876–1930), queen of Ethiopia whose name is sometimes erroneously Anglicised as "Judith" *

Judith Allen Judith Allen (born Marie Elliott, February 8, 1911 – October 5, 1996) was an American actress. Early years Allen was born Marie Elliot in New York City, and she grew up in Belmont, Massachusetts. She attended Leland Powers School in Bos ...

(1911–1996), American actress *

Judith Anderson Dame Frances Margaret Anderson (10 February 18973 January 1992), known professionally as Judith Anderson, was an Australian actress who had a successful career in stage, film, and television. A pre-eminent stage actress in her era, she won two ...

(1897–1992), Australian-born British actress * Judith Arcana (born 1943), American writer *

Judith Arndt Judith Arndt (born 23 July 1976) is a retired German professional sports, professional cycle sport, cyclist, who last rode for the GreenEDGE-AIS cycling team. She won the bronze medal in the Track cycling, 3000 m pursuit event at the 1996 S ...

(born 1976), German cyclist * Judith Arnold, pen name of Barbara Keeler, American romance novelist * Judith Audu, Nigerian actress and blogger * Judith Auer (1905–1944), Swiss resistance fighter * Judith Babirye (born 1977), Ugandan gospel musician and politician *

Judith Baldwin Judith Lee Baldwin (born March 26, 1946) is an American film and television actress. A life member of the Actors Studio, Baldwin amassed 46 screen credits between 1969 and her leading role in 2005's ''Every Secret Thing''. In 1978, she replaced ...

(born 1946), American actress * Judith Barsi (1978–1988), American child actress *

Judith Baumel Judith Baumel (born October 9, 1956 in Bronx, New York) is an American poet. Life She grew up in New York City, attending the Bronx High School of Science. She graduated from Radcliffe College, magna cum laude, studying with Robert Lowell ...

(born 1956), American poet * Judith Baxter (1955–2018), British sociolinguist * Judith Berry (born 1961), Canadian painter * Judith Binney (1940–2011), New Zealand historian * Judith Black, American storyteller * Judith Blau (born 1942), American sociologist * Judith Blegen (born 1943), American operatic soprano * Judith Bluck (1936–2011), English sculptor * Judith Bowman, American author and businesswoman * Judith K. Brodsky (born 1933), American artist and curator * Judith Burganger (born 1939), American pianist *

Judith Butler Judith Pamela Butler (born February 24, 1956) is an American feminist philosopher and gender studies scholar whose work has influenced political philosophy, ethics, and the fields of third-wave feminism, queer theory, and literary theory. In ...

(born 1956), American philosopher and writer * Judith Martin Cadore (born 1957), American family physician * Judith Chemla (born 1985), French actress * Judith Collins (born 1959), New Zealand politician * Judith Alice Clark (born 1949), American activist and convicted felon * Judith Clute (born 1942), Canadian painter, graphic designer, printmaker, and illustrator * Judith Curry (born 1953), American climatologist * Judith Davidoff (1927–2021), American cellist and violinist *

Judith Donath Judith Stefania Donath (born May 7, 1962) is an American computer scientist who is a fellow at Berkman Center for Internet & Society, Harvard's Berkman Center, and the founder of the ''Sociable Media Group'' at the MIT Media Lab. She has written ...

(born 1962), American computer scientist *

Judith Durham Judith Mavis Durham (née Cock; 3 July 1943 – 5 August 2022) was an Australian singer, songwriter, and musician who became the lead singer of the Australian folk music group the Seekers in 1962. The group became the first Australian pop mus ...

(1943–2022), Australian singer * Judith Evelyn (1909–1967), American actress * Judith Fedder (born 1958), American United States Air Force lieutenant general *

Judith Fergin Judith Ryan Fergin (born 1951) is an American diplomat who was the United States Ambassador to East Timor, United States ambassador to East Timor. Her term of appointment began on September 9, 2010, succeeding Hans G. Klemm, and ended in 2013. B ...

(born 1951), American ambassador * Judith Forrai (born 1949), Hungarian dentist, professor, and medical and science historian * Judith Furse (1912–1974), English actress * Judith Godrèche (born 1972), French actress * Judith Godwin (1930–2021), American abstract painter * Judith R. Goodstein (born 1939), American mathematics and science historian * Judith Hand (born 1940), American evolutionary biologist * Judith Heard (born 1986), Ugandan fashion model * Judith Heumann (1947–2023), American disability rights activist * Judith Hill (born 1984), American singer and songwriter * Judith Hoag (born 1963), American actress * Judith Holofernes (born 1976), German singer and songwriter * Judith Ann Carter Horton (1866–1948), African American educator and librarian *

Judith Ivey Judith Lee Ivey (born September 4, 1951) is an American actress and theatre director. She twice won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play: for '' Steaming'' (1981) and '' Hurlyburly'' (1984). She also received Best Actress In A P ...

(born 1951), American actress and theatre director *

Judith Jamison Judith Ann Jamison (; May 10, 1943 – November 9, 2024) was an American dancer and choreographer. She danced with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater from 1965 to 1980 and was Ailey's muse. She later returned to be the company's artistic di ...

(born 1943), American choreographer and dancer * Judith Jones (1924–2017), American writer and editor * Judith Katzir (born 1963), Israeli author * Judith Kazantzis (1940–2018), English activist and poet * Judith Kent (born 1956), American business executive and philanthropist * Judith Keppel (born 1942), English quiz show contestant * Judith Kerr (1923–2019), German-born British writer and illustrator * Judith Klinman (born 1941), American biochemist and molecular biologist * Judith Krantz (1928–2019), American author and journalist * Judith Lefeber (born 1981), German singer * Judith Leiber (1921–2018), Hungarian–American businesswoman and fashion designer * Judith Leyster (1609–1660), Dutch painter * Judith Liberman (born 1978), French storyteller * Judith Light (born 1949), American actress * Judith Livingston (born 1955), American lawyer * Judith Lorber (born 1931), American sociologist * Judith Lucy (born 1968), Australian comedian * Judith Macgregor (born 1952), British diplomat * Judith Malina (1926–2015), German–born American actress * Judith Maro (1919–2011), Ukrainian–born Israeli–Welsh writer * Judith Maxwell (born 1943), Canadian economist and political scientist * Judith Ann Mayotte (born 1937), American humanitarian, professor and theologian * Judith McKenna (born 1966), English businesswoman * Judith Moffett (born 1942), American academic and author * Judith Neelley (born 1964), American serial killer * Judith Nicosia, American soprano * Judith Rakers (born 1976), German journalist and television presenter * Judith Resnik (1949–1986), American astronaut and engineer * Judith Roitman (born 1945), American mathematician * Judith Schmutz (born 1996), Swiss politician * Judit Selymes (born 1940), Hungarian-American theater director and writer * Judith Tyberg (1902–1980), American Sanskrit scholar * Judith Uitermark (born 1971), Dutch politician * Judith Vanistendael (born 1974), Belgian comics author and illustrator * Judith (Yehudit) Weinstock (born 1940), Israeli author *

Judith Wiesner Judith Wiesner (née Pölzl; born 2 March 1966) is an Austrian former professional tennis player. During her career, she won five top-level singles titles and three tour doubles titles. Her career high rankings were world No. 12 in singles (in 1 ...

(born 1966), former professional tennis player from Austria * Judith Wood (1906–2000), American actress * Judith Zaffirini, American politician

Fictional characters

* Judith, in the 2008 video game ''

Tales of Vesperia is an action role-playing game developed by Namco Tales Studio. The nineteenth mainline entry in the ''Tales (video game series), Tales'' series, it was released for the Xbox 360 and published in Japan and North America by Namco Bandai Games in ...

'' * Judith Dinsmore, a recurring character in the web series '' The Most Popular Girls in School'' * Judith Grimes, in the TV show and comic '' The Walking Dead'' * Judith "Judy" Hopps, the rabbit protagonist of Disney's 2016 animated film ''Zootopia'' * Judith Iscariot, in the film ''

Monty Python's Life of Brian ''Monty Python's Life of Brian'' (also known as ''Life of Brian'') is a 1979 British biblical black comedy film starring and written by the comedy group Monty Python (Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Micha ...

'' * Judith Mossman (''Half Life'') * Judith Myers (Halloween), eldest sister of Michael Myers in the 1978 movie ''Halloween'' * Judith Phillips, French name of Jodie Phillips, elder sister of Ellie Phillips in the animated series ''

Fireman Sam ''Fireman Sam'' () is a British animated children's television series about a fireman named Sam, his fellow firefighters, and other residents in the fictional Welsh rural village of Pontypandy (a portmanteau of two real towns, Pontypridd and T ...

'' * Judith, the Scourge Diva, a minor character in the popular trading card game '' Magic: the Gathering'' * Judith Shakespeare, the hypothetical sister of English playwright and poet

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, invented by English writer

Virginia Woolf Adeline Virginia Woolf (; ; 25 January 1882 28 March 1941) was an English writer and one of the most influential 20th-century modernist authors. She helped to pioneer the use of stream of consciousness narration as a literary device. Vir ...

in order to illustrate historical (and persisting) inequalities in the treatment of the sexes as well as the implications of this unequal treatment for art and wider culture. The 1985 rockabilly song " Shakespeare's Sister" by the English rock band

The Smiths The Smiths were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Manchester in 1982, composed of Morrissey (vocals), Johnny Marr (guitar), Andy Rourke (bass) and Mike Joyce (musician), Mike Joyce (drums). Morrissey and Marr formed the band's songwrit ...

, and in turn the Irish pop rock duo

Shakespears Sister Shakespears Sister are an alternative rock, alternative Pop rock, pop and rock musical duo that was formed in 1988 by Irish people, Irish singer-songwriter Siobhan Fahey, a former member of Bananarama. Shakespears Sister was initially a solo a ...

, were named with reference to this character of Woolf’s. The real-life younger daughter of William Shakespeare was also named Judith * Judith von Daphnel, a major character in '' Fire Emblem: Three Houses'' and '' Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes''

Notes

{{given name Feminine given names Hebrew-language names English feminine given names French feminine given names Hebrew feminine given names German feminine given names Dutch feminine given names Norwegian feminine given names Swedish feminine given names Danish feminine given names Icelandic feminine given names fr:Judith#Sens et origine du nom English-language feminine given names