Bridget

Anglicized variation of Gaelic Brighid
"strength or exalted one"

Bridget Origin and Meaning

The name Bridget is a girl's name of Irish origin meaning "strength or exalted one".

Bridget is the Anglicized form of Brigid, an Irish-Gaelic name that was derived from the word brĂ­gh, which means "strength."

Bridget is the name of the most famous female saint of Ireland, who became the patroness of her country, as well as patron saint of scholars, poets and healers. Because of her sanctity, the name did not come into common use in Ireland until the seventeenth century, after which it became wildly popular. Bridget eventually came to be used as a pejorative name for an Irishwoman; Irish maids in the early 20th century US were derogatorily called "the Bridgets."

One of the earliest Irish names for girls to immigrate to the USA, Bridget, the most familiar form of the name of the Celtic goddess of wisdom, is still used by traditionalists but also carries some modern spark and a great meaning. Bridget is one of the exclusive group of girl names that mean strong, brave, or powerful.

According to Irish myth, there were three sister goddesses named Brigid: the goddess of poetry, the goddess of healing, and the goddess of agriculture. Most prominent Bridgets today are actresses Fonda and Moynahan, op artist Bridget Riley, and the fictional hapless Bridget Jones—she and her diary the protagonist of four books, three movies, and even a musical.

Irish variants include Brighid, Brigid (as in the devious character in The Maltese Falcon), Bridie, Biddy, Brid and Bedelia.

# 748 in the US

Bridget Rank in US Top 1000

# 242 on Nameberry

Bridget Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Bridget Popularity

Famous People Named Bridget

  • Saint Bridget of Sweden
    14th century mystic
  • Bridget Cromwell Ireton
    Oliver Cromwell's favourite daughter, wife of Major,General Henry Ireton
  • Bridget Jane Fonda
    American actress
  • Bridget Hall
    American supermodel
  • Bridget Christina Marquardt
    American model and reality TV star
  • (Kathryn) Bridget Moynahan
    American actress and model
  • Bridget Catherine Regan
    American actress
  • Bridget Elizabeth Sloan
    American gymnast
  • Bridget Malcolm
    Australian model
  • Bridget Monroe Pope (b. 2014)
    daughter of TV personality Rosie Pope

Bridget in Pop Culture

  • Bridget Jones
    main character in Bridget Jones's Diary series
  • Bridget Vreeland
    character in the The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
  • Bridget Hennessy
    character on TV's "8 Simple Rules"
  • Bridget
    character in movie "Coney Island Baby"
  • Bridget Kelly
    character on TV series "Ringer"
  • Bridget
    character in Moms' Night Out
  • Bridget Tice
    character in the YouTube series "Most Popular Girls in School"
  • Bridget Barsamian
    main character in "Goodbye Stranger" by Rebecca Stead
  • Bridget
    giraffe character in the animated film The Wild
  • Bridget Forrester
    character in American soap The Bold and the Beautiful
  • Bridget
    character in the video game series Guilty Gear
  • Bridget
    Irish mouse in animated film "An American Tail"
  • Satellizer el Bridget
    character from the manga/anime "Freezing"
  • Bridget/Sacha/Sascha/Lola Evans
    character in the TV series "extr@"