Griselda

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 2 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Griselda is also recorded as 2 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• English given name69K records spelled Griselda15 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Venezuela, United Kingdom, Peru

  Languages: English, German, Dutch

  Also written Ğřisëldä, Ğríšéldá, Grïseldä, Ğřisëldae

• Albanian given name4.0K records spelled Griselda2 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Albania, Italy, United States

  Also written Gřiŝelda

53 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Griselda is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In French, From Germanic grīs/krīz + hild, interpreted as “grey battle” or “combat”.

  as a name·Le grand guide des prénoms (Enfant - Education)

• Of uncertain origin, possibly from a Germanic name derived from gris ‘grey’ + hild ‘battle’. It became popular in the Middle Ages with reference to the tale of ‘patient Griselda’ (told by Boccaccio and Chaucer), who was taken as a model of the patient, long-suffering wife.

  as a name·A concise dictionary of first names

• In English, The long-suffering wife of a nobleman in a medieval tale.

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In Swedish, Se Zelda.

  as a name·Förnamn i Sverige. Kortfattat namnlexikon

• In French, Du germanique *gris* « gris » + *hild* « combat ».

  as a name·Le grand guide des prénoms (Enfant - Education)

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

EC INEC — Visualizador de Nombres y Apellidos, per-token query API (1900–2024) — 116 years between 1902–2024. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Gryzelda Bathoryb. 1569PLnot in their usual nameRelative of the King of Poland
• Griselda Álvarezb. 1913MXÁlvarez was Governor of the state of Colima from 1979 to 1985
• Griselda Gambarob. 1928ARArgentine writer (born 1928)
• Griselda Navasardyanb. 1942AMArmenian physician
• Griselda Blancob. 1943COColombian drug baron (1943–2013)
• Griselda Pollockb. 1949GBBritish art historian
• Malena Alteriob. 1974ARnot in their usual nameItalian-Argentine-Spanish actress
• Griselda Yeungb. 1977CNHong Kong actress
• Griselda Sicilianib. 1978ARArgentine actress
• Griselda Jordanacinematographer

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 693 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Griselda?

We estimate roughly 25 thousand people bear Griselda (counting its spellings and scripts) across 9 countries in our records.

In which country does Griselda have the most bearers?

Griselda is most frequently recorded in Argentina, where it is most often spelled griselda.

How common is Griselda compared with other names?

In Argentina, Griselda is the 241st most common given name of 517,176 given names recorded there.

Is Griselda a male or female name?

Griselda is a female name in our records. Opposite-gender entries fall within the cross-gender noise we measure in the source data, so we don't report them as usage.

What does the name Griselda mean?

Recorded meaning: Germanic Grishild; probably grisja ‘gray’ + hild ‘battle’