NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Enid

Feminine Welsh name meaning "soul" or "life".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Enid is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Enid popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1036, with 33 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2019, with 43 births.

This profile covers 460 England and Wales registrations across 21 recorded years from 1998 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 77% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 478 living people in the UK are called Enid. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Enid ranked #1036 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 33 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2019, when 43 girls were registered as Enid.
  • Enid ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #391 in 2023.
  • About 478 living people in the UK are estimated to have Enid as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#1036

2024

Births in 2024

33

Latest year

Peak year

2019

43 births

Estimated living

478

2026

Meaning

What does Enid mean?

The name Enid is of Welsh origin, derived from the old Celtic word "Anhunidd" meaning "soul" or "life." It is believed to have originated in the 5th or 6th century CE, during the early medieval period in Wales.

One of the earliest known references to the name Enid can be found in the medieval Welsh tale "Geraint and Enid," which is a part of the Mabinogion collection of Welsh mythology. In this tale, Enid is the beautiful and patient wife of the knight Geraint.

The name gained popularity across Europe during the Middle Ages, particularly in regions with Celtic influence. One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Enid was Enid Penardun, a 12th-century Welsh noblewoman who was the wife of Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Pembroke.

In the 16th century, the name Enid was borne by Enid Vychan, a Welsh noblewoman who was the daughter of Sir John Vychan and the wife of Sir William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke. She lived from 1508 to 1563.

Another notable bearer of the name was Enid Mary Blyton, the famous English children's writer and author of popular series like Noddy and The Famous Five. She was born in 1897 and died in 1968.

In the world of literature, the name Enid appears in the works of Alfred, Lord Tennyson's "Idylls of the King," which is a retelling of the Arthurian legends. Tennyson's character Enid is depicted as a virtuous and faithful wife to the knight Geraint.

Enid Williams was a Welsh writer and artist who lived from 1895 to 1977. She was known for her contributions to Welsh literature and her illustrations for children's books.

These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the name Enid throughout history, highlighting its Welsh roots and its enduring presence in literature and culture.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Enid over time

The chart below shows babies named Enid registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1998 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Enid, the clearest high point is 2019. The latest England and Wales figure is 33 births in 2024, compared with 43 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Enid
011223243199820112024

Decades

Enid by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Enid was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #958 182 5
2010s #1535 244 10
2000s #3306 31 5
1990s #3848 3 1

Geography

Where Enid is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Enid. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Enid ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #391 in 2023.

Scotland
5
Northern Ireland
3

Across the UK

Enid in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#558 in 2021

4 years of NRS records, 17 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#391 in 2023

1 years of NISRA records, 3 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Enid

  • Enid Hartle

    opera singer

    British opera singer (1935-2008)

    1935-2008

  • Enid Luff

    composer

    Welsh musician (1935–2022)

    1935-2022

  • Enid MacRobbie

    biologist; university teacher; researcher; biophysicist

    British biologist and biophysicist

    1931-2024

  • Enid Mumford

    scientist; computer scientist; university teacher; sociologist

    British social scientist, computer scientist & academic (1924–2006)

    1924-2006

  • Enid Wilson

    golfer

    English amateur golfer (1910–1996)

    1910-1996

  • Enid Wyn Jones

    social worker

    Welsh religious and social worker

    1909-1967

  • Enid Porter

    teacher; historian; curator; folklorist

    English curator (1908-1984)

    1908-1984

  • Enid Essame

    head teacher

    English headmistress at Queenswood (1906-1999)

    1906-1999

Related

Names similar to Enid

FAQ

Enid: questions and answers

How popular is the name Enid in the UK right now?

In 2024, Enid was ranked #1036 for girls in England and Wales, with 33 births registered.

When was Enid most popular?

The peak year on record was 2019, with 43 babies registered as Enid in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Enid?

Feminine Welsh name meaning "soul" or "life".

How many people are called Enid in the UK?

A total of 460 babies have been registered as Enid across the 21 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 17 more in Scotland and 3 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Enid most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Enid ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #391 in 2023. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.