Enid (given name)
Enid (/ˈiːnɪd/ EE-nid; Welsh pronunciation: [ˈɛnɨ̞d]) is a feminine given name. The origin is Middle Welsh eneit, meaning "spirit, life" (from Proto-Celtic *ana-ti̯o-, compare Gaulish anatia "souls" attested on the Larzac tablet, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂enh₁- "to breathe, blow"; cf. the modern Welsh anadl, "breath" or "wind").[1] Alternatively Enid is derived from Enaid or Enit meaning "woodlark".[2]
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Gender | Feminine |
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Origin | |
Word/name | cognate with the Welsh word enaid meaning "soul, life" (earlier eneid, eneit) |
Meaning | "purity" or "soul" |
Other names | |
Related names | Énide (French) |
Enid was the Celtic goddess and Arthurian name of the 19th century following Alfred Lord Tennyson's Arthurian epic Idylls of the King (1859) and its medieval Welsh source, the Mabinogi tale of Geraint and Enid.[3]
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.[4]
People
- Enid Dame (1943-2003), American poet
- Enid Luff (born 1835), Welsh musician
- Enid Wyn Jones (1909-1967), Welsh nurse
- Enid Morgan, Welsh former international lawn and indoor bowls competitor
- Enid MacRobbie (born 1931), Scottish plant scientist
- Enid Riddell (1903-1980), British socialite and racing driver
- Enid Marx (1902-1998), English painter and designer
- Enid Stacy (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 (1897–1968), British children's writer
- Enid Campbell (1932–2010), Australian legal scholar and law professor
- Enid Derham (1882–1941), Australian poet and academic
- Enid Evans (1914 - 2011), New Zealand librarian
- Enid Greene (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 (1887-1982), Australian actress and director
- Enid Charles (1894-1972), British socialist, feminist and statistician
- Enid Mark (1932-2008), American editor and publisher
- Enid Lyons (1897–1981), Australian politician and wife of Prime Minister Joseph Lyons
- Enid Markey (1894–1981), American actress
- Enid Johnson Macleod (1909-2001), Canadian anaesthetist, medical doctor and academic
- Enid MacRobbie (born 1931), Scottish plant scientist
- Enid Mumford (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 (1938–2020), English actress
- Enid Lapthorn (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 (born 1972), Bosnian handball goalkeeper
- Enid Kent (born 1945), American former television actress
- Enid Shomer, American poet
- Enid Gilchrist, Australian fashion designer
- Enid Bishop (born 1925), Australian librarian
- Enid Lakeman (1903-1995), British political reformer, writer and politician
- Enid Crow (born 1968), American feminist artist
- Enid Hibbard(1889-1960), American screenwriter
- Enid Greene Mickelsen (born 1958), American politician
- Enid Hattersley (1904-2001), British politician
- Enid Tapsell (1903–1975), New Zealander nurse, community leader, writer and local politician
- Enid Szánthó (1907–1997), Hungarian opera singer
Fictional characters
- Enid, a character in OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes
- Enid, a character in The Walking Dead
- "Enid", a Barenaked Ladies song
- Enid or "Enide" (an Old French variant of Enid), a heroine in Arthurian legends
- Enid, great-aunt of Neville Longbottom from J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series
- Enid an Gleanna (Daisy of the Valleys), an alias of Francesca Findabair, a character in The Witcher saga by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski.
- Enid Coleslaw, the lead character of the 1997 comic book Ghost World and its 2001 film adaptation
- Tracy Enid Flick, character in the 1998 novel Election and 1999 film portrayed by Reese Witherspoon
- Enid Frick, editor of Vogue magazine on TV's "Sex and the City"
- Enid Hoopes, 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, a best friend of twin in the Sweet Valley High and Sweet Valley University book series and TV show.
Places
References
- "Enid." Online Etymology Dictionary. Douglas Harper. Retrieved 1 January 2013. <Etymonline.com http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Enid>.
- 1958-, Pickering, David (2009). The Penguin book of baby names. London: Penguin. ISBN 9780141931500. OCLC 680052717.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
- 1935-, Dunkling, Leslie (1984) [1983]. The Facts on file dictionary of first names. Gosling, William., Dunkling, Leslie, 1935-. New York, N.Y.: Facts on File Publications. ISBN 0871962748. OCLC 10533041.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
- "Geraint and Enid | Robbins Library Digital Projects". Retrieved 2018-09-04.