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Summary
- Hildegard does not appear in the Bible and has no Hebrew form or meaning.
- It is an Old German name made from hilt, “battle,” and gart, “enclosure” or “yard.”
- Charlemagne’s queen Hildegard (died 783) is its earliest famous bearer; the name was among the most common for German girls from 1914 to 1923.
- Hildegard of Bingen (1098–1179) was a Benedictine abbess who wrote books of visions, music, medicine and nearly 400 surviving letters.
- Pope Benedict XVI extended her veneration to the whole Catholic Church on 10 May 2012 and declared her a Doctor of the Church on 7 October 2012.
- Her feast is 17 September, also kept in the Church of England calendar.
Bibliography (Click to show)
- Behind the Name, “Hildegard,” “Hilda” and “Hilde,” with name days and popularity figures for Germany and the United States. https://www.behindthename.com/name/hildegard
- Behind the Name, “Popularity for the name Hildegard,” Germany and United States tables. https://www.behindthename.com/name/hildegard/top/germany and https://www.behindthename.com/name/hildegard/top/united-states
- Online Etymology Dictionary, “yard (n.1).” https://www.etymonline.com/word/yard
- Benedict XVI, Apostolic Letter proclaiming Saint Hildegard of Bingen a Doctor of the Universal Church, 7 October 2012. https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/apost_letters/documents/hf_ben-xvi_apl_20121007_ildegarda-bingen.html
- “Hildegard of Bingen,” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hildegard_of_Bingen
- “Hildegard (queen),” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hildegard_(queen)
- Church of England, Common Worship, “The Calendar.” https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/common-worship/churchs-year/calendar
