Swanhild
Saxon
"battle swan"Share
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Updated Thu Apr 18 2024
Swanhild Origin and Meaning
The name Swanhild is a girl's name of Saxon origin meaning "battle swan".
An ancient name belonging to "the most beautiful of all women" in Germanic mythology, whose tragic story features in many northern European legends. The daughter of Sigurd and Gudrun, her jealous husband had her murdered after she was accused of infidelity, and was then himself killed by Swanhild's brothers.
On a less heavy note, the name also features repeatedly in German, Austrian and Scandinavian royal lines. And it appears in several works of art and literature as well, including the ballet Coppélia, Henrik Ibsen's play Love's Comedy, and the opera Hulda.
Swanhild feels rather unwieldy for a modern girl, but potential short form Swan feels right on trend.
20 Names Similar to Swanhild
These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Swanhild.
Swanhilde Otthild Hildegarde Swanilde Vigdis Ignatia Iphigeneia Cinnabar Qiturah Veradisia Brunhilda Mayberry Hella Brunhild Bonaventure Iolana Aristotle Pomme Fleurette Narnia
Famous People Named Swanhild
- Swanahild of Bavaria (8th century AD)second wife of the Frankish ruler Charles Martel
Swanhild in Pop Culture
- Svanhildrthe beautiful daughter of Sigurd and Gudrun in northern European legend
- Swanhildcharacter in Henrik Ibsen's "Love's Comedy" (1862)
- Swanhildsorceress in H. Rider Haggard's "Eric Brighteyes" (1890)
- Swanhild Erikssoncharacter in S. M. Stirling's Emberverse series