Judith

Judith: a Hebrew name meaning “Jewish woman”

Judith comes from Hebrew Yehudit, meaning “Jewish woman,” ultimately referring to someone from the tribe of Judah. English usually says JOO-dith, with two syllables and stress on the first. Judy provides a familiar shorter form with an ee ending.

The name has more than one biblical bearer and a particularly memorable narrative in the Book of Judith. In modern cultural history, dancer and choreographer Judith Jamison gives the full name a substantial connection with American dance.

The biblical Judiths

One Judith appears in Genesis as a wife of Esau. A different Judith is the central figure in the Book of Judith, included in some Christian biblical traditions and treated as apocryphal in others.

The latter heroine confronts the threat posed by the invading commander Holofernes. She enters his camp and kills him, becoming the decisive figure in her people’s escape from danger. That story gives the name an unusually active heroine within its scriptural history.

The two figures belong to different narratives despite sharing the same name. The Book of Judith’s heroine supplies the more developed story, while the Hebrew meaning connects the written name with Judah and Jewish identity.

Judith Jamison and Alvin Ailey

Judith Jamison joined Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1965. Ailey created major roles for her, including the solo Cry in 1971. The work became one of the most recognizable performances associated with her career.

Cry was created as a birthday gift for Ailey’s mother and dedicated to Black women, especially mothers. Its three-part structure asks a single dancer to carry an intense emotional and physical journey, making Jamison’s performance central to its identity.

Her work later extended beyond performing. She choreographed, appeared on Broadway in Sophisticated Ladies, and formed the Jamison Project. After Ailey’s death, she became the company’s second artistic director, helping carry its work into another generation.

Jamison’s public name connects Judith with both artistic performance and leadership. It is a substantial modern bearer whose full first name remains familiar in accounts of dance, choreography, and the development of the Ailey company.

Pronunciation and related forms

English JOO-dith begins with the j sound in “jump” and the long vowel heard in “blue.” Its final th is the unvoiced sound in “think.” The second syllable is lighter than the first.

Judy changes that ending to an ee sound while keeping the opening intact. Hebrew Yehudit preserves a different sound and spelling from the same older name, while Judit is an established related form in several European languages.

The full Judith retains a firmer consonant ending than Judy. Both have long independent familiarity in English use, allowing the complete name and its short form to have noticeably different rhythms.

Popularity in the United States

Judith reached its highest American girls’ rank, number four, in 1940. Its largest annual count came in 1943, with 25,214 births, placing it among the major girls’ favorites of that period.

It ranked 929 in 2015, 910 in 2020, and 790 in 2025. Judith is far less frequent than at its peak, but its recent movement has been upward, bringing an older name to a new group of children.

How popular is Judith?

In 2025, Judith ranked #790 among girls in the United States, with 344 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for girls in 1880; its largest annual count was 25,214 in 1943. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.