Judit

It is a feminine given name derived from the Hebrew “Yehûdı̂yth > Y’hudít,” meaning “he will be praised” or “woman of Judea.” Judith appeared in the Old Testament as the wife of Esau and in the Apocryphal Book of Judith. The name did not become common until after the Protestant Reformation. The English language’s name was among the top 50 most popular given names for girls born in the United States between 1936 and 1956. Its popularity has since declined. It was the 893rd most popular name for baby girls born in the United States in 2012, down from 74th place in 1960. Saint Judith of Prussia (Jutta) was born ca. 1200 at Sangerhausen in Thuringia (now Sachsen-Anhalt) and died in 1260 at Kulmsee in the Monastic State of the Teutonic Order (now Chełmża, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland). She was a German aristocrat who became a hermit on Prussia’s frontier and is honored as the patron saint of that region.