Edna (given name)
Encyclopedia
Edna is a female given name
originating from several languages. In Hebrew, it means "pleasure". Various women named Edna are referenced in the Old Testament apocryphal books Jubilees (where the wives of Enoch
, Methuselah
, and Terah
are all so named) and Tobit
. The name Edna may also be an Anglicized form of the Irish and Scottish name Eithne
, meaning "kernel" in Gaelic. This was a very popular girl's name in the United States
in the early 20th century, but has since become unfashionable. It is also a very rare surname
. Edna, as derived from Hebrew, is closely related etymologically to the name Eden
.
Given name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
originating from several languages. In Hebrew, it means "pleasure". Various women named Edna are referenced in the Old Testament apocryphal books Jubilees (where the wives of Enoch
Enoch (ancestor of Noah)
Enoch is a figure in the Generations of Adam. Enoch is described as Adam's greatx4 grandson , the son of Jared, the father of Methuselah, and the great-grandfather of Noah...
, Methuselah
Methuselah
Methuselah is the oldest person whose age is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. Extra-biblical tradition maintains that he died on the 11th of Cheshvan of the year 1656 , at the age of 969, seven days before the beginning of the Great Flood...
, and Terah
Terah
Terah or Térach is a biblical figure in the book of Genesis, son of Nahor, son of Serug and father of the Patriarch Abraham, all descendants of Shem. He is mentioned in the Hebrew bible and the New Testament.-Genesis narrative:...
are all so named) and Tobit
Book of Tobit
The Book of Tobit is a book of scripture that is part of the Catholic and Orthodox biblical canon, pronounced canonical by the Council of Carthage of 397 and confirmed for Roman Catholics by the Council of Trent...
. The name Edna may also be an Anglicized form of the Irish and Scottish name Eithne
Eithne
Eithne is a popular Irish female name meaning 'little fire' and is borne by a variety of historical and legendary figures, including:-Medieval:...
, meaning "kernel" in Gaelic. This was a very popular girl's name in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the early 20th century, but has since become unfashionable. It is also a very rare surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
. Edna, as derived from Hebrew, is closely related etymologically to the name Eden
Eden (name)
Eden as a given name, has several derivations, from the Biblical Garden of Eden, meaning 'place of pleasure'; It is traditionally considered to be a feminine baby name...
.
People with the given name Edna
- Edna Best (1900–1974), British actress
- Edna DoréEdna DoréEdna Doré is a British actress. Doré is one of Britain's best known senior citizen actresses. She is known for her bit-part roles in situation comedies and for playing the character of Mo Butcher in the BBC soap opera EastEnders .- Career :She began her career as a chorus girl in ENSA, then spent...
(born 1922), British actress - Edna EickeEdna EickeEdna Eicke was for many years an illustrator of distinctive covers for the New Yorker magazine. 'Do you have trouble letting go of old copies of The New Yorker?' asked John Updike in the foreword to an anthology of the magazine's covers...
(1919–1979), American illustrator - Edna FerberEdna FerberEdna Ferber was an American novelist, short story writer and playwright. Her novels were especially popular and included the Pulitzer Prize-winning So Big , Show Boat , and Giant .-Early years:Ferber was born August 15, 1885, in Kalamazoo, Michigan,...
(1885–1968), American novelist - Edna IturraldeEdna IturraldeEdna Iturralde is an Ecuadorian author who has won multiple national and international awards. She is considered the most important figure in children and young adult's literature of her country and, with thirty-eight books published, some of them in Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and Spain, this author...
, Ecuadorian author - Edna F. KellyEdna F. KellyEdna Flannery Kelly was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from New York.Kelly was born in East Hampton, New York. She graduated from Hunter College in 1928...
(1906-1997), American politician - Edna MadzongweEdna MadzongweEdna Madzongwe is the President of the Senate of Zimbabwe. She was previously Deputy-Secretary for Production and Labor.She was elected to the presidency of the Senate on November 30, 2005...
(born 1943), Zimbabwean politician - Edna ManleyEdna ManleyEdna Manley OM was a sculptor and contributor to Jamaican culture, as well as the wife of Norman Manley, the founder of the Jamaican People's National Party. She is often considered the "mother of Jamaican art". She is the daughter of English cleric Harvey Swithenbank and a Jamaican woman by the...
(1900-1987), Jamaican sculptor, wife of Norman ManleyNorman ManleyNorman Washington Manley MM QC National Hero of Jamaica , was a Jamaican statesman. A Rhodes Scholar, Manley became one of Jamaica's leading lawyers in the 1920s... - Edna St. Vincent MillayEdna St. Vincent MillayEdna St. Vincent Millay was an American lyrical poet, playwright and feminist. She received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, and was known for her activism and her many love affairs. She used the pseudonym Nancy Boyd for her prose work...
(1892–1950), American poet and playwright
Fictional characters
- Edna BirchEdna BirchEdna Birch is a fictional character on the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. She is played by Shirley Stelfox.In a village marred by affairs, double-crossing and sin, widow Edna is a paragon of virtue. She first appeared on the show in 2000, but had been living in the village for many years...
in the television series EmmerdaleEmmerdaleEmmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972... - Dame Edna EverageDame Edna EverageDame Edna is a character created and played by Australian dadaist performer and comedian, Barry Humphries, famous for her lilac-coloured or "wisteria hue" hair and cat eye glasses or "face furniture," her favorite flower, the gladiola and her boisterous greeting: "Hello Possums!" As Dame Edna,...
- Edna Garrett in the television series Diff'rent StrokesDiff'rent StrokesDiff'rent Strokes is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from November 3, 1978 to May 4, 1985, and on ABC from September 27, 1985 to March 7, 1986...
and The Facts of LifeThe Facts of Life (TV series)The Facts of Life is an American sitcom that originally ran on the NBC television network from August 24, 1979 to May 7, 1988. A spin-off of the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, the series' premise focused on Edna Garrett as she becomes a housemother at the fictional Eastland School, a prestigious... - Edna KrabappelEdna KrabappelEdna Krabappel is a fictional character from the animated TV series The Simpsons, voiced by Marcia Wallace. She is a 4th grade teacher at Springfield Elementary School. Krabappel is the only character Wallace voices on a regular basis.- Profile :...
in the television series The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie... - Edna Mode in the animated movie The IncrediblesThe IncrediblesThe Incredibles is a 2004 American computer-animated action-comedy superhero film about a family of superheroes who are forced to hide their powers. It was written and directed by Brad Bird, a former director and executive consultant of The Simpsons, and was produced by Pixar and distributed by...
- Edna Spalding in the 1984 film Places in the HeartPlaces in the HeartPlaces in the Heart is a 1984 drama film that tells the story of a Texas widow who tries to keep her farm together with the help of a blind white man and an African-American man during the Great Depression...
- Edna Turnblad in the 1988 film Hairspray and subsequent adaptations as a stage musicalHairspray (musical)Hairspray is a musical with music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman and a book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, based on the 1988 John Waters film Hairspray. The songs include 1960s-style dance music and "downtown" rhythm and blues...
and musical filmHairspray (2007 film)Hairspray is a 2007 musical film produced by Kolaja Productions and distributed by New Line Cinema. It was released in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom on July 20, 2007. The film is an adaptation of the 2002 Broadway musical of the same name, which in turn was based on John...