Roswitha

Strong, historical, and bold, Roswitha is an Old Germanic name, notably borne by a 10th-century canoness and poet from Saxony, who is seen as one of the first female German writers and one of the very few people to keep a record of the Middle Ages from a woman's perspective.

Also appearing as Hruodsuind, Hrotsuitha, Hrotsvitha, Roswit, and Roswindis, some sources suggest the name is comprised of the elements hruod and swind meaning "fame, glory" and "strong, mighty" respectively. Alternative interpretations are that it means "mighty shout", with "shout" perhaps stemming from the idea of glorifying someone.

Pronounced as raws-VEE-ta, it appears in the name of a German literary prize for women. Used in Austria, Germany, and occasionally France, other Roswithas have included photographer Roswitha Hecke, skier Roswitha Steiner, swimmer Roswitha Krause, actress Roswitha Schreiner, and philospher Roswitha Scholz.

Additionally, it appears in the novel The Devil's Novice by Ellis Peters, the eighth novel in the Cadfael Chronicles.

Rosvita is a Slovene and Romansh form, that may also be more approachable to English speakers.

Pronounced ROS-with-uh.