Given name & surname · also Hebrew
Judith
“jewess”·“woman from Judea”
Judith is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “jewess” and “woman from Judea” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Original Hebrewיהודית
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “jewess” and “woman from Judea” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.
How it developed
From Hebrew יְהוּדִית (Y'hudít, “woman from Judea, Jewess”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Judith through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 455,955
- 1,241 boys · 454,714 girls
- Most popular year
- 1943
- 25,303 babies
- 2025
- 344
- #790 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −1%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 344 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 790 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 1.3% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 25,214 in 1943. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (40). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 376,697 as a first name in 2020; 107 as a surname in 2000.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Judith’s family of names
In English usage, Judith has a diminutive in Judy. Judith shares a linguistic root with Yehudit. In German usage, Judith has a related form in Jutta.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Judith has relatives in 22 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
34 related names in 22 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 26
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Judydiminutive · English
- Jodydiminutive · English
- Judidiminutive · English
- Judythvariant · English
- Juttadiminutive · German
- Judiediminutive · English
- Judythevariant
- Juditevariant · Portuguese, Danish
Show 18 moreShow fewer
- Juditvariant · Swedish, Norwegian
- Judithevariant · Danish
- Judithhlikely variant
- Juddithlikely variant
- Jüdithvariant · German
- Jucikavariant
- Jutkavariant · Hungarian
- Juditavariant · German, Czech
- Judythavariant
- Judeanavariant
- Judeenavariant
- Judithavariant · German, Danish
- Juettevariant · German
- Jüttevariant · German
- Jitkapet form · Czech
- Jyttepet form
- Juutpet form
- Juttepet form
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 22
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 26
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
- Judeshares a root
- Judahshares a root
- Judeashares a root
- Judasshares a root
- Eliudshares a root
- Jedaiahshares a root
- Ehudshares a root
- Julittasee also
Show 18 moreShow fewer
- Vaniahshares a root
- Ohadshares a root
- Abiudshares a root
- Jehudijahshares a root
- Jehudishares a root
- Jeduthunshares a root
- Hodiahshares a root
- Hodaviahshares a root
- Hodaiahshares a root
- Hodshares a root
- Siubhansee also
- Yaudishares a root
- Tidalshares a root
- Theudasshares a root
- Jewshares a root
- Jaddaishares a root
- Ishhodshares a root
- Abihudshares a root
People named Judith
- Judi DenchEnglish actress (born 1934)
- Judith ButlerAmerican feminist gender studies philosopher (born 1956)
- Judy HollidayAmerican actress, comedian and singer (1921-1965)
- Judith ResnikAmerican engineer and astronaut (1949–1986)
- Cassandra ClareAmerican authorborn 1973
- Judith LeysterDutch Golden Age painter (1609-1660)
- Judith AndersonAustralian stage and screen actress (1897–1992)
- Judy GreerAmerican actressborn 1975
- Judith BarsiAmerican child actress (1978-1988)
Characters named Judith: Judith Grimes (The Walking Dead).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Judith, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Joyce
“lord” · “one who brings joy to others”
2% boys · 98% girls
Jane
“God is gracious” · “one who is fair; a beautiful girl”
>99% girls
Jeanne
“God is gracious”
>99% girls
Janet
“God is gracious”
>99% girls
Janice
“God is gracious”
>99% girls
Bonnie
“a pretty and charming girl”
>99% girls
Martha
“lady”
>99% girls
Eileen
“a birdlike woman” · “a birdlike man”
>99% girls