Edna

Meaning: Its source is Ednah, a Hebrew name meaning "Renewer."

Though not linguistically related, Edna has been historically used as an English version of the Irish Gaelic name Eithne.

Origin: "Ednah."

Languages: This girl's name is used in English.

Nicknames: Eda and Eddie

Source Forms: Ednah

Popularity: The name Edna ranked 109th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

This name is highly rated in the 1990 U.S. Census popularity survey of all ages, but after 1960 does not appear in the state data listing the most popular baby names.

Narrative: This may be a convergent form, also derived from the Gaelic name Eithne, meaning ''kernel.''

Leadership

Edna E. Kelly (born 1906, died 1997)
American politician.
- Representative, R-Indiana, 1949-69 (see list of Women in the House of Representatives)
Edna Simpson (born 1891, died 1984)
American politician.
- Representative, R-Illinois, 1959-61 (see list of Women in the House of Representatives)

Miscellaneous

Edna O'Brien (born 1931)
Irish novelist.
- 1962 Mademoiselle Award winner (see list of Mademoiselle Award Winners)
Edna Walker
- 1969 Pillsbury Bake-Off winner (see list of Pillsbury Bake-off Winners)

Sports

Edna Boyd
- 1927 Australian Open tennis champion (see list of Australian Open Tennis Champions)
Edna Dercum
Skier.
- Elected to the Colorado Ski Hall of Fame in 1980 (see list of Members of the Colorado Ski Hall of Fame)

Stage and Screen

Edna Best (born 1900, died 1974)
English-born American actress.
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Motion Picture (see list of Movie Personalities with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
Edna May Oliver (born 1883, died 1942)
American actress.
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Motion Picture (see list of Movie Personalities with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)

The Literary World

Edna Barth
- Author of Witches, Pumpkins, and Grinning Ghosts: The Story of the Halloween Symbols (see list of Authors of some of the most frequently banned books between 1990-99, in the United States)
Edna Buchanan
- 1986 Pulitzer Prize winner for Spot Reporting (see list of Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Spot Reporting)
Edna Ferber (born 1887, died 1968)
American novelist.
- 1925 Pulitzer Prize winner for Fiction, for So Big (see list of Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction)
Edna St. Vincent Millay (born 1892, died 1950)
American poet.
- 1923 Pulitzer Prize winner for Poetry, for The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver (see list of Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry)
- Wrote A Few Figs from Thistles (see list of Poets of the 20th Century)
Edna O'Brien (born 1931)
Irish novelist.
- Wrote Sister Imelda (see list of Prose Writers of the 20th Century)