Biddy

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Biddy

Gender: Feminine
Language: English
Etymology:
Biddy is an Irish and English diminutive for the name Bridget. Bridget is the English form of the French Brigette, based on the Latin Brigitta, based on Brighid (or Brigit) a Celtic name meaning “Lofty,” or “the High One.”

History:
Biddy probably developed out of a child’s pronunciation of Briddy, which would be short for Bridget. The nickname Biddy fell out of use after it became slang for an Irishwomen, later for an old woman, especially a meddling old woman. The word “biddy” is also an old term for a hen. It its not really found in the United States from the late 1800s on.

Please see Bridget for more information.

Pronunciation: bid-dee.

Alternates: Biddi, Biddie.

Famous Bearers:
Fictional Characters:
Biddy Gargery (1860/1861)
A character from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.

Popularity:
Percentage from the 1990 U.S. Census:
less than 0.001 % of females named Biddy

Popularity of Biddy:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1880-2004: N/A

Popularity of Biddie:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1880: N/A
1881: 740th most popular.
1882: 908th most popular.
1883: 920th most popular.
1884: N/A
1885: 922nd most popular.
1886: N/A
1887: 937th most popular.
1888: N/A
1889: 840th most popular.
1890-1896: N/A
1897: 982nd most popular.
1898-2004: N/A

Selected Sources:
The Penguin Dictionary of First Names, Pickering, 1999
A Dictionary of First Names, Hanks and Hodges, 1990
The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, Withycombe, 3rd ed., 1977

The Social Security Administration Actuarial Note 139 - For popularity stats 1880-Present
The 1880 U.S. Census- For popularity stats 1850-1880, and other information (it is available on-line at www.familysearch.org)