Judith
Judith was the 790th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 344 babies. Its best year was 1940, when it ranked 4th; the most babies were born in 1943 (25,214). Over the last ten years it has moved up 139 places. More babies were named Judith in the 1940s than in any other decade.
Meaning woman of Judea, Jewish woman · Hebrew
Say it JOO-dith /ˈdʒudɪθ/
- Rank in 2025
- #790 girls, up 120 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 344girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 194325,214 babies
- Total since 1880
- 455,955babies recorded
What does the name Judith mean?
Judith comes from Hebrew Yehudit, meaning 'woman from Judea' or 'Jewish woman', the feminine of Yehudi 'Judean, Jew', from the tribal name Judah. In Genesis 26:34 Judith is a wife of Esau, and in the Apocrypha she is the heroine of the Book of Judith, who saves her town by killing the general Holofernes. DMNES notes the name was borne by Frankish and Anglo-Saxon royalty and was used in England before the 16th century, though not commonly.
יְהוּדִית (Yehudit) (Biblical Hebrew, “woman of Judea, Jewish woman”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Judy, Jodie, Yehudit, Jutta.
See also: Hebrew names, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Judith', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Judith', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Hebrew Bible, Genesis 26:34 (Sefaria, with JPS translation), Sefaria
Nicknames for Judith
The usual nicknames for Judith are Judy and Jude. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Judith in the last five years, 39 were named Judy, against 33 twenty years earlier. Jude is also gaining on the full name.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Judy | Traditional | #1,874 | 604 |
| Jude · also for Judah | Traditional | #2,041 | 555 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Judiths go by each one.
Judith popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 1,241 since 1930.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #790 | 344 |
| 2020 | #910 | 289 |
| 2010 | #873 | 304 |
| 2000 | #612 | 415 |
| 1990 | #453 | 545 |
| 1980 | #386 | 597 |
| 1970 | #193 | 1,669 |
| 1960 | #74 | 6,149 |
| 1950 | #21 | 15,352 |
| 1940 | #4 | 22,385 |
| 1930 | #202 | 944 |
| 1920 | #341 | 370 |
| 1910 | #498 | 67 |
| 1900 | #451 | 56 |
| 1890 | #567 | 22 |
| 1880 | #882 | 5 |
How popular is Judith, counting every spelling?
Judith has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #793 for girls in 2025, against #790 on the official list, because Kaylin/Kaylynn/Kailyn and Jayleen/Jaylene/Jaelynn and Carly/Karlee/Carlee move ahead once their spellings are combined.
How many kids will share the name Judith?
344 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Judith (0.10 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Judith born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 24 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Judith.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Judith?
About 283,600 people born in the US named Judith are alive today, with a median age of 76; half are between 68 and 82. That makes Judith a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Judith by state
How common Judith was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Kentucky (2.3×), Alabama (2.2×), Kansas (1.8×), Indiana (1.6×), Tennessee (1.5×). In 19 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Judith: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Judith, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Judith · Sibling names for Judith
Questions about the name Judith
What does Judith mean?
Judith means “woman of Judea, Jewish woman” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Judith?
Judith was the 790th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 344 babies. Its best year was 1940, when it ranked 4th; the most babies were born in 1943 (25,214). Over the last ten years it has moved up 139 places. More babies were named Judith in the 1940s than in any other decade.
Is Judith a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Judith in the US.
Where is Judith most popular?
In 2021–2025, Judith was most common in Kentucky (0.44 per 1,000 girls), followed by Alabama and Kansas.