Brunhilde (given name)

Brunhilde is a German feminine given name, derived from a combination of the Germanic word elements brun, or armor, and hild, or battle. The Valkyrie Brunhild is a heroine of Germanic heroic legend.

Variants in regular use include the Albanian, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish Brunilda and Brunilde; the Norwegian Brynhild; and the Icelandic Brynhildur.

Brunhilde was in regular use for girls in Germany from the late 19th century through the 1960s, a time period when romantic German nationalism was in vogue and the names of idealized heroines such as Brunhild from Germanic heroic legend became more popular. Brünhild was also a character in Richard Wagner's four-part opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen, which became popular world-wide in the late 1800s.