Enid (given name)


Enid is a feminine given name. The origin is Middle Welsh eneit, meaning "spirit, life". Alternatively Enid is derived from Enaid or Enit meaning "woodlark".
Enid was the Celtic goddess and Arthurian name of the 19th century following Alfred Lord Tennyson's Arthurian epic Idylls of the King and its medieval Welsh source, the Mabinogi tale of Geraint and Enid.
Enid drifted into popular use in Britain in the 1890s, becoming most popular in the 1920s. Then it was the greatest possible compliment to be called a "second Enid", since the original was a legendary romantic figure of spotless perfection and courage in life. Enid was the quiet brave steadfast character of Tennyson's poem, loved deeply by many, yet her love or loyalty to her husband was unwavering, even at his worst.

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