Hedwig
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Meaning
from the Old German name Hadewig, built on hadu, "battle", and wig, "war"
How popular is Hedwig around the world?
In the United States, Hedwig is not on the Social Security record for 2020 to 2025: names under 5 in a year are withheld at source. In Austria, 5 girls named Hedwig were born in 2025, the 742nd most common name among girls that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.
Hedwig is on the official records of Austria and Spain.
United States
under 5 a year
In the United States, Hedwig is not on the Social Security record for 2020 to 2025: names under 5 in a year are withheld at source.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Hedwig peaked in the 1890s and the 1910s in nearly equal measure.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
Austria
1 in 15,000
In Austria, 5 girls named Hedwig were born in 2025, the 742nd most common name among girls that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.
share of that year’s births on record
Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)
Spain
1 in 1.5M
In Spain, 30 residents are named Hedwig, ranked 21,947th among women, with a mean age of 71.1 years.
Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025
France
last on record 1944
Hedwig is not on the 2025 record for France, where spellings under 3 in a year are withheld at source.
share of that year’s births on record
Births in France by year of birth, from INSEE’s fichier des prénoms (1900–2025; Mayotte from 2012); exact spellings count separately (Léo and Leo are different names), any spelling under 3 in a year and sex is withheld at source, every count is rounded to the nearest 5 at source, and nametree keeps the spellings that reached 20 in some year. Shares divide by INSEE’s count of births in France from 1957, and before that by the file’s own total for the year; INSEE says the file is not complete before 1946. Source: Insee, fichier des prénoms (last updated 2026-07-16)
South Australia
last on record 1960
Hedwig is not on the 2017 record for South Australia, whose registry publishes every name given that year.
The count never rose above 1 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
Not on 12 other recordsWhy
- Not on the record in Mexico City, Argentina, Puerto Rico, England and Wales, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland and Poland: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.
- Not on the Chile record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 5 registrations in some year, so rarer uses are not shown.
- Not on the Montevideo record for 1940 to 2011: that registry withholds nothing, so this spelling was not given there in those years.
- Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.
When you meet Hedwig
Most people given the name Hedwig in the United States were born between 1940 and 1959. The Hedwig you meet today is most often in her 70s or 80s.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Hedwig deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Hedwig truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Hedwig fits with your family’s names and surname.
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