Mechthild

Hildegard

Old High German · “A Germanic feminine name composed of "hild" meaning "battle" and "gard" meaning "enclosure", "stronghold", or "protection" — thus "battle-stronghold" or "protected in battle". Hildegard of Bingen (1098–1179) was a Benedictine abbess, visionary mystic, composer, natural philosopher, and medical writer — one of the most remarkable intellectual figures of the Middle Ages and now a Doctor of the Catholic Church.”

Gertrude

Germanic · “A Germanic feminine name composed of "ger" meaning "spear" and "þrúðr" meaning "strength" — thus "spear-strength" or "the strength of the spear". The name was borne by Saint Gertrude of Nivelles (626–659), the patron of travellers and gardeners, and Saint Gertrude the Great (1256–c.1302), the mystical theologian. Its literary association is dominated by Gertrude, Queen of Denmark in Shakespeare's Hamlet.”

Hedwig

Old High German · “A Germanic feminine name composed of "hadu" meaning "battle" or "combat" and "wig" meaning "war" or "battle" — thus "battle-battle" or "fighter in battle", a double-martial name suggesting a fierce warrior nature. Saint Hedwig of Silesia (1174–1243) was a Bavarian noblewoman who became the patron saint of Poland and Silesia; her name was later popularized in English-speaking culture through the owl Hedwig in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series.”

Genoveva

“The Spanish and Portuguese form of Genevieve, from the Old French Genovefa, which may derive from the Germanic elements kuni meaning "kin, race" and wefa meaning "woman", or alternatively from a Gaulish root related to the Celtic genos meaning "race" and vefa meaning "woman". Saint Geneviève of Paris, patron saint of the city, made the name a symbol of courageous piety.”

Edeltraud

“A Germanic feminine name composed of "adal" or "edel" meaning "noble" and "þruð" or "traut" meaning "strength" or "beloved" — thus "noble strength" or "noble and dear". The name was popular in the German-speaking world in the 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly in Catholic Austria, Bavaria, and the Rhineland, where it was associated with aristocratic feminine virtue.”

Delbert

“A Germanic-derived masculine name, a variant of Adalbert or Delbert, composed of the elements "adal" meaning "noble" and "beraht" meaning "bright" or "famous" — thus "noble and bright". The form Delbert developed primarily in English-speaking contexts as a variant of the Old High German Adalbert/Ethelbert, carried to the English-speaking world via Norman influence.”

Eloisa

“The Italian and Spanish form of Eloise, from the Old French Héloïse, which derives from the Germanic Helewidis, composed of heil ("healthy, whole") and wit ("wide"). The name is forever associated with Héloïse d'Argenteuil (1101–1164), the medieval French scholar and nun whose passionate correspondence with philosopher Peter Abelard became one of the great epistolary love stories of Western history.”

Heidi

“A Swiss-German diminutive of Adelheid, itself the German form of Adelaide, composed of the Germanic elements "adal" (noble) and "heid" (kind, sort, type). The name became internationally famous through Johanna Spyri's 1881 Swiss novel "Heidi", whose protagonist is a bright, warm-hearted Alpine girl who becomes one of the most beloved child characters in world literature.”

Fred

“A short form of Frederick, from the Old Germanic Frideric, composed of frid ("peace") and ric ("ruler, king"), meaning "peaceful ruler." Fred retains the warmth and approachability of the nickname while stripping away the formality of the full name. It has been used as an independent given name since the 19th century.”