Heidi Name Meaning & Origin
Heidi
Origin of the name Heidi:
A pet form of Adalheid (noble one) and Hildegard (battle protector), Heidi is also bestowed as an independent given name. It became well known internationally from Johanna Spyri's famous story "Heidi."
From A World of Baby Names by Teresa Norman.
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US Popularity of Heidi Over Time

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Name Lists Featuring Heidi
- Australian Girls Names: Most Popular Names for Girls in Australia (Victoria) 2014
- English and Welsh Girls Names: Most Popular Names for Girls in England and Wales (2013)
- Irish Girls Names: Most Popular Names for Girls in Northern Ireland 2014
- Australian Girls Names: Most Popular Names for Girls in Australia (Victoria), 2010
- English Girls Names: Most Popular Names for Girls in England, 2010
- English and Welsh Girls Names: Most Popular Names for Girls in England and Wales
- English Girls Names: Most Popular Names for Girls in England 2015
- Irish Girls Names: Most Popular Names for Girls in Northern Ireland for 2012
- Australian Girls Names: Most Popular Names for Girls in Australia (New South Wales) for 2012
- Australian Girls Names: Most Popular Names for Girls in Australia (Victoria) for 2012
- Scottish Girls Names: Most Popular Names for Girls in Scotland
- Australian Girls Names: Most Popular Names for Girls in Australia (Victoria)
- Australian Girls Names: Most Popular Names for Girls in Australia (Queensland)
Contribute your knowledge to the name Heidi
- Comments and insights on the name Heidi
Heidi can be a nickname for the German names Adelheid, Heidemarie, or Heidrun.
- Personal experiences with the name Heidi
Heidi's are very strong, positive and intelligent. With a gentle and laid-back personality,they would never think of using intimidation to accumulate their resources.
Heidi's are athletic. They are smart, German most of the time, and very honest.
My name is Heidi! In middle school, most people that didn't know me very well would spell my name as "Heidy" or "Heydy", something weird like that. Someone even called me Hindi! Anyways, I was a bit cold back then so my friends would call me "Hades". It didn't bother me
My name is Heidi -- If you name your child this name, there will be 3 common things she will hear all of her life: 1) "Heidi-Heidi-Ho" 2) "What part of Germany is your family from?" and 3) "That was my favorite book and I love the name."
The nickname didn't bother me except for when I had a "fr-enemy" who decided to start calling me "Heidi the Ho" every time a guy hit on me in her presence. I guess that's the female form of cock blocking but .... on to #2 -- I always have to explain that my family is Scot-Irish, not German, which leads to #3 ... Yes, the book is why I have the name. My mother read it when she was 8 years old -- which is what I tell people every time they say number 2 and number 3 to me.
Also be aware that "Heidi" seems to attract bullies. For some reason the name connotes sweetness. Your child will have to develop strength, because would-be bullies will assume she is an easy target due to the name. Has happened to me for as long as I can remember. Which probably leads to an earlier comment that I see above, about a "Heidi" who was a "bully" in the workplace. She probably encountered many of the attitudes I did growing up and then overly asserted herself in her career. Not to psychoanalyze a stranger, but don't assume that because someone is named "Heidi" that they don't have a backbone. Our name means "Battle Maiden," and we will tear you to shreds, especially if you threaten our own children.- Nicknames for Heidi
Hi-da, Heid, Hides, Hidis, Heidi-Ho, Hi-D, Di, Dee
- Meanings and history of the name Heidi
A nickname for Adelheid (the German form of Adelaide), this was never used as an independent name until the publication of Johanna Spyri's novel "Heidi" in 1880. The heroine of this book was originally named Adelheid, after her mother. She was called Heidi by her aunt, and the nickname stuck.
Heidi, like its parent form, means "nobility". It is a "virtue name" like Hope, Grace, Honor, and Patience.
- Famous real-life people named Heidi
Heidi Collins, CNN anchor
Heidi Klum, German supermodel.
Heidi Thomas, English screenwriter and playwright, best known for "Call the Midwife".
Heidi Swanson, American food writer
Heidi Biebl (b. 1941), German Olympic downhill skier who was the youngest gold medalist in the 1960 Winter Games.
Heidi Range, English singer, part of the group Sugababes
Heidi Newfield, American country singer.
Heidi Murkoff, co-author of "What to Expect When You're Expecting" and its sequels.
Heidi VanDerveer, American basketball coach
Heidi Neumark, minister and author
Heidi Ravven, professor of neuroscience and expert on philosophy and ethics
Heidi Montag, reality TV star
Heidi Durrow, author of the "The Girl Who Fell From The Sky."
Heidi Fleiss, former Hollywood madam.- Heidi in song, story & screen
"Heidi", classic novel by Johanna Spyri (1880), which has been filmed in many versions and many different languages.
Heidi Holland, protagonist of "The Heidi Chronicles" by Wendy Wasserstein. The work was performed as a Broadway play from 1988-1990, and became a television film starring Jamie Lee Curtis in 1995.
Heidi Joan Schoonover, protagonist of the film "The Competition" (1980), played by Amy Irving.
Heidi, ethereally beautiful "fisher" vampire of the Volturi guard in the "Twilight" series of books by Stephenie Meyer
Heidi is one of the charactors in Sarah Dessen's book Along for the Ride.
Heidi Turner, minor character in South Park