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    The first name Enid

    A girl’s name from Welsh meaning “spirit”, “life”, “purity”.

    Pronounced /ˈiːnɪd/ 2 syllables Female

    Meaning and origin

    Welsh origin

    Enid means “spirit”, “life”, “purity” in Welsh.

    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”).

    More names that mean life.

    From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

    Popularity

    Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025

    In 2025, 47 girls were named Enid, making it the 778th most popular girls’ name.

    02550 1996200020052010201520202025
    507
    babies named Enid, 1996–2025
    #778
    rank in 2025
    2025
    peak year

    Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Enid with other names.

    Popularity in the United States

    Babies named Enid at birth, 1880–2025

    In 2025, 30 girls born in the United States were named Enid, the 4,586th most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1920, when 261 were.

    0150300 188018851890189519001905191019151920192519301935194019451950195519601965197019751980198519901995200020052010201520202025
    9,240
    babies named Enid since 1880
    #4,586
    rank in 2025
    1920
    peak year

    US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.

    Famous people named Enid

    11 on Wikidata, most written-about first

    • 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 Yandell
      American sculptor, 1869–1934
    • Enid Lyons
      Australian politician, 1897–1981
    • Enid Balint
      English psychoanalyst and welfare worker, 1903–1994
    • Enid Stamp Taylor
      British actress (1904-1946)
    • Enid Bakewell
      English cricketer (born 1940)
    • Diana Rigg
      English actress (1938–2020)
    • Vivian Bonnell
      Actor and calypso singer (1924-2003)

    More Welsh girls’ names

    All 78 names of Welsh origin

    Questions

    What does the name Enid mean?
    Enid means “spirit”, “life”, “purity” in Welsh.
    What is the origin of the name Enid?
    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,…
    How popular is the name Enid?
    In 2025, 47 girls born in England and Wales were named Enid, ranking 778th.
    Is Enid a boy's or a girl's name?
    Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 9,240 US babies named Enid since 1880 were girls.
    When was Enid most popular?
    1920 in the United States, when 261 babies were named Enid, its highest rank at 412th.
    How do you pronounce Enid?
    Enid is /ˈiːnɪd/, 2 syllables.