How Many Variations Of The Name Bridget Are There?

Bridget is Irish Gaelic in origin; the older form of the name is Brighid (pronounced breed.) Brighid was a Celtic goddess; in its oldest form the name means "exalted one." A later form of this name was Brigid; this was the name of an early Irish saint, and legends often confuse the two.

There are many variants of Bridget. These include Bride or Bridie, both formerly common in Ireland. There was also a less common Irish variant, Breda or Breeda. The Scandinavian forms include Birgit and Britt (as in Britt Ekland.) The French form is Brigitte, made famous by Brigitte Bardot. A diminutive or pet form of Bridget is Biddy, sometimes given as a name in its own right but now falling into disuse.

The name Bridget has recently enjoyed a revival, mainly because of the best-selling "Bridget Jones's Diary" by Helen Fielding, and the even more famous films starring Renee Zellweger.