Given name
Hedy
“one who is pleasing; delightful; a sweetheart”
Hedy is used as a given name. One Greek interpretation is “one who is pleasing; delightful; a sweetheart.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Greek interpretation is “one who is pleasing; delightful; a sweetheart.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Greek.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1915. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Hedy through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,316
- 0 boys · 2,316 girls
- Most popular year
- 1942
- 109 babies
- 2025
- 7
- #12,381 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −33%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 7 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 12,381 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 32.8% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 109 in 1942. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,230 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Hedy’s family of names
Hedy has a related form in Hedwig. Hedy has a related form in Hedea. Hedy has a related form in Hedeah.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Hedy
- Hedy LamarrAustrian-American actress and co-inventor of an early technique for spread spectrum communications and frequency hopping (1914-2000)
- Hedy Schluneggeralpine skier (1923-2003)
- Hedy BurressAmerican actressborn 1973
- Hedy BienenfeldAustrian swimmer (1907-1976)
- Hedy d'AnconaDutch politicianborn 1937
- Hedy Stenuffigure skater (1922–2010)
- Hedy EpsteinAmerican activist (1924–2016)
- Hedy WestAmerican folksinger and songwriter (1938-2005)
- Hedy FryCanadian politicianborn 1941
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Hedy, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Phyllis
Phyllis is a feminine given name from Ancient Greek.
>99% girls
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“one who is pure; chaste”
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Jannis is a given name from Greek. It is used in German.
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“filled with happiness; rejoicing”
17% boys · 83% girls
Vilia
Vilia is a given name, possibly from Greek. It is used in Italian.
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Thaddea
“of the heart; courageous” · “having heart”
>99% girls
Naida
“a water nymph”
>99% girls
Sandrea
“helper and defender of mankind”
>99% girls