Bridget

From Namespedia - Names Meaning and Origins

Name: Bridget

Gender: Feminine

Origin: Bridget comes from Brigid, the Celtic goddess of agriculture, healing, poetry and fire. This goddess was an actual living person who was worshiped in Ireland. When Saint Patrick converted her to Christianity, she became a very holy woman, and eventually, the patron Saint of Ireland (along with Saint Patrick,) and helped many poor people. In Ireland, for a long time, the name was so sacred, that baby girls were not allowed to be named it. At one point in time, it was so common that an Irish girl was named Bridget, that a slang term for an Irish servant girl in most English speaking countries (particularly England) was Biddy (a nickname for Bridget.)Now, it is considered an honor to be named this lovely, rare Irish name, Bridget.

Meaning: Strength; exalted one; vigor; power; virtue.

Language: English; Gaelic.

Variations: Bedelia (Irish) Berc'hed (Celtic) Berget (Swedish) Berit (Scandinavian) Biddie (English), (Irish) Biddy (English), (Irish) Bidelia (English), (Irish) Bidu (English) Birgit (Scandinavian) Birgitta (Scandinavian) Birte (Norwegian) Breda (Irish) Brede (Manx) Bree (English) Breeda (Irish) Breege (Celtic) Breesha (Manx) Breeshey (Manx) Bregeen (Celtic) Bríd (Irish) Bride (Irish) Bridgeteen (Celtic) Bridgette (English) Bridie (English), (Irish) Brídín (Irish) Brie (English) Brighid (Irish) Brigid (Irish) Brígida (Portuguese) Brigida (Italian), (Spanish) Brigidine (Irish) Brigilda (Filipino) Brigit (English), (Irish), Scottish Brigita (Latvian), (Slovenian) Brigiteen (Celtic) Brigitta (German), (Hungarian) Brigitte (French), (German) Brit (Norwegian) Brita (Finnish), (Scandinavian) Britt (Scandinavian) Britta (Scandinavian) Brygid (Polish) Brygida (Polish) Ffraid (Welsh) Gitta (German) Gittan (Swedish) Piritta (Finnish) Pirkko (Finnish) Priita (Finnish) Riitta (Finnish)

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Celebrities named: Bridget Hall Bridget Fonda Bridget Marquardt Bridget Moynahan

Characters named: Bridget Forrester (The Bold and The Beautiful) Bridget Jones (Bridget Jones's Diary) Bridget Hennessey (8 Simple Rules) Bridget "Bee" Vreeland (Sisterhood of The Traveling Pants)

Nicknames: Bridge Bridgey Bridey Biddy or Biddie