| Hildegard | Zelda | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Battle guard | Battle (grey battle-maid) |
| Origin | germanic | germanic |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | HIL-duh-gard | ZEL-duh |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 0 | 0 |
| Peak year | 1915 (81) | 2020 (526) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| Trend | Vintage | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Hildegard | Zelda |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 94 | 2,561 |
| 2010s | 52 | 2,889 |
| 2000s | 0 | 391 |
| 1990s | 0 | 144 |
| 1980s | 0 | 154 |
| 1970s | 6 | 305 |
| 1960s | 42 | 1,265 |
| 1950s | 93 | 1,160 |
| 1940s | 108 | 1,074 |
| 1930s | 276 | 1,650 |
| 1920s | 436 | 2,376 |
| 1910s | 483 | 1,854 |
| 1900s | 219 | 595 |
| 1890s | 130 | 254 |
| 1880s | 6 | 62 |
From Germanic 'hild' (battle) and 'gard' (enclosure, protection), roughly 'protector in battle'. Borne by the 12th-century abbess and polymath Hildegard of Bingen.
Commonly a short form of Griselda, from Germanic 'gris' (grey) and 'hild' (battle). A separate Yiddish name Zelda meaning roughly 'blessed/happy' also exists, so the battle sense specifically traces to the Griselda line.
Hildegard and Zelda are given to a similar number of US babies today.
Hildegard means Battle guard (germanic origin), while Zelda means Battle (grey battle-maid) (germanic origin).
In US records, Hildegard first appears in 0 and Zelda in 0, so Hildegard has the longer recorded history.