Enid

Where Enid comes from

From Middle Welsh eneit (“spirit, life; purity”), from Proto-Celtic *anatyom, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂enh₁- (“to breathe, blow”). Cognate with Gaulish anatia (“souls (?)”) attested on the Larzac tablet; see also the modern Welsh anadl (“breath, wind”), from Proto-Celtic *anatlā (“breath, breathing”).
— Wiktionary's entry for Enid
  • Welsh
  • 2 syllables
Along the way
  1. 1885
    First appearance
    #921 among girls, 6 babies — the first year at least five got the name.
  2. 1894
    Enid Markey born
    American actress of stage, film and television
  3. 1897
    Enid Blyton born
    English author
  4. 1920
    Peak, #412
    261 babies named Enid — more than any year before or since.
  5. 1932
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births — down to #593.
In the dictionary
  • A female given name from Welsh of obscure meaning.
Namesakes
  • Enid Blyton · English author, 1897–1968
  • Enid Markey · American actress of stage, film and television, 1894–1981
  • Enid Bagnold · English dramatist, playwright, memoirist, 1889–1981
  • Enid Bennett · Australian actress, 1893–1969
  • Enid Lyons · Australian politician, 1897–1981

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.