Baby Name of the Day: Bridget

OThe baby name Bridget feels like a traditional choice, but is surprisingly underused now.

Thanks to Photoquilty for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.

WHAT DOES THE NAME BRIDGET MEAN?

The baby name Bridget comes from the Irish Brighid, which was originally closer to Brigit.

The meaning is great: “exalted one.”

Others suggest it might mean “fiery arrow” or strength. Both fit what we know about the name.

GODDESS NAME

In Irish mythology, Bridget is the daughter of Dagda, a powerful god. 

She’s the goddess of fire, poetry, and wisdom. Because of that last attribute, she’s sometimes listed as the equivalent of the Greek Athena and Roman Minerva.

She’s also associated with the British goddess Brigantia. 

But that’s not why this name is so strongly associated with Ireland today.

SAINT BRIGID OF KILDARE

The 5th century Saint Brigid of Kildare is sometimes called the Irish Mary.

Her popularity bridges old traditions and the new faith of Christianity. Not only is Saint Bridgid one of Ireland’s patron saints, but she’s associated with poetry, learning, and even fire. She’s also the patron saint of scholars.

She’s known for establishing religious communities, including one at Kildare. The monastery at Kildare maintained a perpetual fire for centuries in her honor.

Also noteworthy: the saint’s feast day is February 1st. That’s also the pagan holiday Imbolc, marking the midway point between winter and spring.

So she’s a powerful figure in Irish history – even if it’s tough to pin down which parts of her story are true and which are the stuff of legends. 

Because of the saint, the goddess, or some combination of both, the baby name Bridget was considered too sacred to be used for centuries. That changed around the 17th century, and both Bridget and Brigid were popular in Ireland into the 20th century and remain familiar today.

BRIDGET IN EUROPE

The name is well-known across English-speaking countries as well as Europe.

In Scandinavian countries, it’s Birgitta. Thanks to the fourteenth century mystic and saint, Birgitta of Sweden, it’s had a long history of use.

Born to a wealthy, titled landowner, the future saint was known for her charity. She embarked on several pilgrimmages across Europe and founded a religious order.

She’s considered one of the patron saints of Europe. 

Several forms of the name have been popular in Scandinavia over the years, including Britt.

In France, the name becomes Brigitte. It could be considered quite stylish today. After all, Brigitte Bardot became an icon of the late 1950s and 60s. The French model and actress, however, is also known for her divisive political statements. It puts a chill on Brigitte.

But the baby name Bridget feels like a different name.

BRIDGET IN POP CULTURE

First, common nicknames for Bridget once included Bedelia and Biddy. 

The former brings to mind the bumbling, big-hearted maid of children’s books, Amelia Bedelia. 

Biddy, too, was a generic name for a female servant in nineteenth century America –  a moment when Irish immigrants were often employed in domestic roles. It’s also sometimes used to mean old woman, slightly kinder than hag, but only by a little.

But both of those references are fading fast.

Instead, popular culture gives us:

• Bridget Fonda, the American actress and member of the Fonda family, had a long career, with hits like Single White Female and Singles in the 1990s.
• Bridget Moynahan, a model-turned-actress, now best known as Erin on television’s Blue Bloods, the principled assistant disctrict attorney of the Reagan family. 
• Bridget Vreeland is a member of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Her nickname, Bee, is a better bet than Biddy today. Blake Lively plays the character in the movies.
• Fictional Bridget Jones, she of the successful books and film adaptations. Renee Zellweger has played the role in three movies, with a fourth due for release in 2025.

Way back in 1972, a young Meredith Baxter co-starred in a sitcom titled Bridget Loves Bernie. Baxter played Bridget, a young woman from a wealthy Irish-American family who falls in love with Bernie Steinberg, a Jewish taxi driver and aspiring playwright. The show was a hit, but lasted just one season. More successful? Meredith and David married, and she went on to star in Family and then Family Ties, credited as Meredith Baxter Birney.

HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME BRIDGET?

The baby name Bridget has appeared in the United States Top 1000 nearly every year since 1880, but it’s never cracked the Top 100. 

It came close in 1973. That’s when Bridget Loves Bernie was a brief television success. 

As of 2023, the name stands at #748. That’s the least popular this name has been since the 1940s.

It’s similarly familiar-but-not-common in England and Wales, and elsewhere in the English-speaking world.

UNDERUSED CLASSIC

While the baby name Bridget doesn’t immediately feel like a classic in the key of Elizabeth or Katherine, it still fits. The long history of use, a background across multiple cultures and languages, and a compelling meaning and story all make Bridget an enduring choice for a daughter.

Depending on your perspective, it might be a fresh update to names like Juliette and Brielle or an Irish heritage choice less common than Maeve.

Either way, it could be the perfect choice for parents seeking something familiar, but not common.

What do you think of the baby name Bridget?

First published on December 5, 2008, this post was revised on October 9, 2014, adn again on December 22, 2024.