| Gender | Female |
|---|---|
| Origin | |
| Word/name | Germanic |
| Meaning | "dark battle" or "Grey maiden warrior" |
| Other names | |
| Related names | Zelda |
Griselda is a feminine given name from Germanic sources that is now used in English, Italian, and Spanish as well. According to the 1990 United States Census, the name was 1066th in popularity among females in the United States.
It has been suggested that the name originated from Old English "gris hild", meaning "dark battle".[1] The name likely specifically stems from the Proto-Germanic language elements *grīsaz, meaning both "grey" and "fearsome, terrible", and *haliþaz, meaning "warrior, hero", or alternately *hildiz, meaning "battle" (compare modern German grau and Held).[2]
The name can also be spelled "Griselde", "Grisselda", "Grieselda", "Grizelda", "Gricelda", and "Criselda".
Common nicknames include, "Zelda", "Selda", "Grissy", "Gris", "Grisel", or "Grizel".
People named Griselda include:
- Griselda Álvarez (1913–2009), first female governor in Mexico
- Griselda Blanco (1943-2012), a former drug lord for the Medellín Cartel
- Griselda Gambaro (born 1928), Argentine writer
- Griselda González (born 1965), Argentine former long-distance runner
- Grizelda Kristiņa (1910–2013), last native speaker of the Livonian language
- Griselda Pollock (born 1949), art historian, cultural analyst and scholar
- Griselda Tessio (born 1947), vice-governor of the Argentine province of Santa Fe
References
- ^ Campbell, Mike. "Meaning, origin and history of the name Griselda". Behind the Name. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
- ^ "Definition and meaning of entry "Griselda"". Wiktionary.org.