Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Heidi

Heidi is the mainly Swiss pet form of the German name Adelheid (from the French Adélaïde). Adelheid comes from the Germanic elements “adal” meaning ‘noble’ and “heid” meaning ‘kind, sort, type’ – therefore Heidi essentially comes from a name that means ‘the noble one’. Though mainly a nickname used in Switzerland, Heidi became popular among English speakers shortly after the 1880 publication of the children’s classic “Heidi” by the Swiss writer Johanna Spyri. After penetrating her grandfather’s reclusive heart and harsh exterior, demonstrating acts of ‘nobility’ and kindness, and running around the Swiss Alps with her adventurous spirit, this little girl walked into the hearts and imaginations of all her readers. Today, Heidi continues to be a Top 100 favorite name in England, Northern Ireland and Australia.

All About the Baby Name – Heidi

Personality

OF THE GIRL NAME HEIDI

The number Eight personality has everything to do with power, wealth and abundance. Somehow, this personality has been blessed on the material plane, but their authoritative and problem-solving traits provide evidence that their good fortunes are not just the luck of the lottery. They are well earned. This is the personality of CEOs and high-ranking military personnel. Eights are intensely active, hard-driving individuals. Success is only meaningful to them after a job well-done.  They are remarkable in their ability to see the larger picture right down to the smallest details, and organize a strategy around success. They then have the ability to direct a group around them toward any goal, and realize individual potential to get the most out of their team.

Popularity

OF THE GIRL NAME HEIDI

Heidi came onto the U.S. naming charts in 1939, shortly after the lovable Shirley Temple portrayed the character of “Heidi” in a popular film. This probably helped bring the name back to life. Like Alice, Wendy or Madeline, Heidi is a quintessential little girl’s name thanks to the classic and widely read children’s story. The height of Heidi’s popularity in the United States came between the mid-1960s and mid-1980s when she maintained a spot on the Top 100 list of most favored girl names for almost 20 straight years. Heidi has been on the decline since the 1990s, although Heidi Klum gave the name a jump on the charts between 2005 and 2006 following the successful debut of her show “Project Runway”. Heidi can’t help but be a “cute” and youthful name thanks to the girl from the Alps. But it also has a Swiss-German ethnicity that sets it apart from other common nicknames.

Quick Facts

ON HEIDI

GENDER:

Girl

ORIGIN:

German

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

353

PRONUNCIATION:

HI-dee

SIMPLE MEANING:

Noble one, of noble birth

Characteristics

OF HEIDI

Authoritative

Powerful

Tough

Tenacious

Wealthy

Problem-solver

Achiever

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Heidi

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME HEIDI

Heidi is the beloved little girl of Swiss author Johanna Spyri’s 1880 novel, Heidi, which had numerous adaptations, including the classic movie of the same name, starring Shirley Temple, in 1937. Heidi is a five year old orphan who is brought by her aunt to live with her grandfather in the Swiss Alps. Grandfather is an embittered old hermit living in seclusion, but Heidi soon works her magic on him (picture the adorable little Shirley Temple’s winning smile), and brings him out of seclusion into the world again. In addition to melting the old grandfather’s heart, Heidi also teaches her young friend Peter to read and encourages her invalid friend, the young Clara, to walk again. Clara’s rich, grateful family sets up a fund for Heidi in the event that her grandfather may not always be able to care for her, and everyone lives happily ever after. And it’s not saccharine – truly! It’s a simple tale of decent people meeting challenges and trying to make the best of them, with an endearing child in their midst.

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME HEIDI

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Heidi


Popular Songs

ON HEIDI

Heidi is a Headcase
a song by The Ramones

Heidi Hoe
a song by Common [explicit]

Heidi Hates Me
a song by The Huntingtons

Heidi
a song by Ruby

Famous People

NAMED HEIDI

Heidi Klum (model)
Heidi Montag (reality TV)
Heidi Barrett (California winemaker)
Heidi Berry (singer/songwriter)
Heidi Fleiss (famous madam)
Heidi Mueller (actress)
Heidi Neururer (Olympic snowboarder)
Heidi Roizen (businesswoman)
Heidi Mount (model)

Children of Famous People

NAMED HEIDI

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Heidi

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME HEIDI

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Heidi