Enid ( ; ) is a feminine given name. Its origin is Middle Welsh eneit, meaning 'spirit; life; purity' (from Proto-Celtic *ana-ti̯o-, compare Gaulish anatia 'souls (?)' attested on the Larzac tablet, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂enh₁- 'to breathe, blow'; compare the modern Welsh word anadl 'breath; wind').
Enid was the Celtic goddess and Arthurian name of the 19th century following Alfred Lord Tennyson's Arthurian epic Idylls of the King (1859) and its medieval Welsh source, the Mabinogi tale of Geraint and Enid.
Enid drifted into popular use in Britain in the 1890s, becoming most popular in the 1920s. Then it was the greatest possible compliment to be called a "second Enid", since the original was a legendary romantic figure of spotless perfection and courage in life. Enid was the quiet, brave, steadfast character of Tennyson's poem, loved deeply by many, yet her love or loyalty to her husband was unwavering, even at his worst.
People
Enid Bagnold (1889–1981), British author and playwright
Enid Bakewell (born 1940), English cricketer
Enid Bennett (1893–1969), Australian-born American silent film actress
Enid Bishop (born 1925), Australian librarian
Enid Blyton (1897–1968), British children's writer
Enid Bosworth Lorimer (1887–1982), Australian actress and director
Enid Campbell (1932–2010), Australian legal scholar and law professor
Enid Charles (1894–1972), British socialist, feminist and statistician
Enid Crow (born 1968), American feminist artist
Enid Dame (1943–2003), American poet
Enid Derham (1882–1941), Australian poet and academic
Enid Evans (1914–2011), New Zealand librarian
Enid Gilchrist, Australian fashion designer
Enid Greene Mickelsen (born 1958), American politician
Enid Greene (born 1958), American politician
Enid Hattersley (1904–2001), British politician
Enid A. Haupt (1906–2005), American publisher and philanthropist
Enid Hibbard (1889–1960), American screenwriter
Enid Johnson Macleod (1909–2001), Canadian anaesthetist, medical doctor and academic Enid Kent (born 1945), American former television actress Enid Kent, played Nurse Bigelow, a recurring character in the television series M*A*S*H Enid Lakeman (1903–1995), British political reformer, writer and politician Enid Lapthorn (1889–1967), British politician Enid Legros-Wise (born 1943), Canadian ceramic artist Enid Luff (1935–2022), Welsh musician Enid Lyons (1897–1981), Australian politician and wife of Prime Minister Joseph Lyons Enid MacRobbie (born 1931), Scottish plant scientist Enid Mark (1932–2008), American editor and publisher Enid Markey (1894–1981), American actress Enid Marx (1902–1998), English painter and designer Enid Morgan, Welsh former international lawn and indoor bowls competitor Enid Mumford (1924–2006), British professor largely known for her work on human factors and socio-technical systems Enid Nemy, reporter and columnist for The New York Times Enid Riddell (1903–1980), British socialite and racing driver Enid Diana Rigg (1938–2020), English actress Enid Shomer, American poet Enid Stacy (1868–1903), English socialist activist Enid Stamp Taylor (1904–1946), English actress Enid Starkie (1897–1970), Irish literary critic Enid Szánthó (1907–1997), Hungarian opera singer Enid Tahirović (born 1972), Bosnian handball goalkeeper Enid Tapsell (1903–1975), New Zealander nurse, community leader, writer and local politician Enid Wyn Jones (1909–1967), Welsh nurse
Enid Yandell (1870–1934), American sculptor
Fictional characters
Enid, a character in OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes
Enid, a character in The Walking Dead
"Enid", a Barenaked Ladies song
Enid or "Enide" (an Old French variant of Enid), a heroine in Arthurian legends
Enid, great-aunt of Neville Longbottom from J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series
E nid an Gleanna (Daisy of the Valleys), an alias of Francesca Findabair, a character in The Witcher saga by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. Enid Coleslaw, the lead character of the 1997 comic book Ghost World and its 2001 film adaptation Tracy Enid Flick, character in the 1998 novel Election and 1999 film portrayed by Reese Witherspoon Enid Frick, editor of Vogue magazine on TV's Sex and the City Enid Wexler, a feminist law student in the movie Legally Blonde (2001) Enid Kelso, character in TV's Scrubs Enid Nightshade, a character in The Worst Witch series of children's books Enid Rollins, a best friend of twin in the Sweet Valley High and Sweet Valley University book series and TV show. Enid Sinclair, a supporting eccentric werewolf character in Wednesday (2022)