My great-grandmother's first name was EDILDA, her family came from
England to America in 1836. What is the origin and meaning of that
name, please. Thanks.

Dear Auntie Loo, 

Edilda is an ancient Anglo-Saxon name, one that had also existed in
1214 (CE), according to The Dictionary of English Surnames. Other
variations of this name are Eadild and Edild.
Feminine Given Names in A Dictionary of English Surnames
<http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/talan/reaney/reaney.cgi?Edild> 

According to name researcher Kate Monk, this name has got no meaning,
it is a dithematic name: "Only a personal name was given. This was
often made up of two elements, often linked in some way with the
parents' names. For instance, Aldred and Edith might call their
daughter Aldith as some elements were suitable for males and females.
These dithematic names did not necessarily have any link in meaning
between their two elements. They were more popular with the later
Anglo-Saxons with the monothematic, or single element, names acquiring
a lower-class association." (SOURCE: Kate Monk, 1997. "Kate Monk's
Onomastikon (Dictionary of Names)",
<http://www.gaminggeeks.org/Resources/KateMonk/England-Saxon/Dithematic.htm>).

According to Monk, Edilda derives from Ecgwynn, an older Anglo-Saxon
name. However, to that I have found no other confirmation to this
fact.

I hope this answers your question. Please contact me if you need any
clarification on this answer before you rate it.

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Request for Answer Clarification by auntieloo-ga on 20 Jun 2005 03:47 PDT

Thank you for this information. You state the name is listed in
Dictionary of ENGLISH Surnames, but is Anglo-Saxon in origin. Is there
a Germanic reference book that I can look for this in? And it seems
like this name would have died out by 1865, especially in the USA, can
you see any way my family knew about this name? We've done a lot of
genealogy, she's the only Edilda in our family for at least two
generations prior to herself. Thanks so much!!

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Clarification of Answer by politicalguru-ga on 20 Jun 2005 09:18 PDT

Naturally, the Dictionary of English Surnames also contains names that
existed in England. However, in any case, I have found no reference to
this name in German or Germanic documents. Curiously, I - too -
haven't found any reason why the name has disappeared from the
American naming scene during the last decades of the 19th century.

Quick service, interesting response. Thanks very much.