English

Proper noun

Heidi

1. A female given name.
   • 1983 John le Carré, The Little Drummer Girl, Pan Books, ISBN 0330282565, page 142:

     "Heidi?" Kurtz echoed. "Heidi? That's a damned odd name for an English elder sister, isn't it?" "Not for Heidi, it isn't," she replied buoyantly, and scored an immediate laugh from the kids beyond the lighting. Heidi because her parents went to Switzerland for their honeymoon, she explained; and Switzerland was where Heidi was conceived. "Among the edelweiss," she added, with a sigh.

   • 2012 April 19, Josh Halliday, “Free speech haven or lawless cesspool – can the internet be civilised?”, in the Guardian:

     But the purported rise in violent videos online has led some MPs to campaign for courts to have more power to remove or block material on YouTube. The Labour MP Heidi Alexander said she was appalled after a constituent was robbed at knifepoint, and the attackers could be found brandishing weapons and rapping about gang violence online.

Danish

Etymology

From German Heidi.

Proper noun

Heidi

1. A female given name.

References

• Danskernes Navne, based on CPR data: 17 830 females with the given name Heidi have been registered in Denmark between about 1890 (=the population alive in 1967) and January 2005, with the frequency peak in the 1970s. Accessed on 19 May 2011.

Estonian

Etymology

From German Heidi, also seen as a variant of Hedi, from Hedvig.

Proper noun

Heidi

1. A female given name.

Faroese

Etymology

Ultimately, from Alemannic German Heidi.

Proper noun

Heidi f

1. A female given name

Usage notes

Matronymics

• son of Heidi: Heidiarson
• daughter of Heidi: Heidiardóttir

Declension

Finnish

Etymology

From German Heidi.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhei̯di/
• Hyphenation: Hei‧di

Proper noun

Heidi

1. A female given name.
   • 2010 Ritva Kokkola, Palasin kynnykseltä. Novelleja, Myllylahti Oy, ISBN 978-952-202-203-5, pages 86-87:

     Maija-täti sanoi, että heillä päin koirille ei annettu vierasmaalaisia nimiä. Eikä tietysti lapsillekaan. Sitten kun olin käynyt rippikoulun, minua pyydettiin kummiksi. Ehdotin vauvan nimeksi Annea tai Heidiä tai Marikaa. Koulun takia en päässyt ristiäisiin. Pari viikkoa myöhemmin sain valokuvan, johon oli kirjoitettu Kummitädille Eilalta.

Declension

Usage notes

• The most common name of women born in Finland in 1979-83.

German

Etymology

Originally a Swiss German diminutive of Adelheid.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhaɪ̯di/

Proper noun

Heidi

1. A female given name.
   • 1880 Johanna Spyri, Heidis Lehr- und Wanderjahre, translated as Heidi, Chapter 6:

     "Willst du lieber Heidi heißen oder Adelheid?" fragte Klara. "Ich heiße nur Heidi and sonst nichts", war Heidis Antwort. "So will ich dich immer so nennen", sagte Klara; "der Name geställt mir für dich, ich habe ihn aber nie gehört, ich habe aber auch nie ein Kind geleben, das so aussieht wie du.

     "Would you rather be called Heidi or Adelaide?" asked Clara. "I am never called anything but Heidi," was the child's prompt answer. "Then I shall always call you by that name," said Clara, "it suits you. I have never heard it before, but neither have I ever seen a child like you before.

Related terms

• Heide, Heidemarie

Norwegian

Etymology

From German Heidi at the end of the 19th century.

Proper noun

Heidi

1. A female given name.

References

• Kristoffer Kruken - Ola Stemshaug: Norsk personnamnleksikon, Det Norske Samlaget, Oslo 1995, ISBN 82-521-4483-7
• Statistisk sentralbyrå, Namnestatistikk: 15 794 females with the given name Heidi living in Norway on January 1st 2011, with the frequency peak in the 1960s. Accessed on April 18th, 2011.

Swedish

Etymology

From German Heidi.

Proper noun

Heidi

1. A female given name.