Edna ( he, עֶדְנָה) is a female

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...

originating from several languages. In Hebrew, it means "pleasure". Various women named Edna are referenced in the Old Testament apocryphal books

Jubilees The Book of Jubilees, sometimes called Lesser Genesis (Leptogenesis), is an ancient Jewish religious work of 50 chapters (1,341 verses), considered canonical by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church as well as Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jews), where it is ...

(where the wives of

Enoch Enoch () ''Henṓkh''; ar, أَخْنُوخ ', Qur'ān.html"_;"title="ommonly_in_Qur'ān">ommonly_in_Qur'ānic_literature__'_is_a_biblical_figure_and_Patriarchs_(Bible).html" "title="Qur'ānic_literature.html" ;"title="Qur'ān.html" ;"title="o ...

Methuselah Methuselah () ( he, מְתוּשֶׁלַח ''Məṯūšélaḥ'', in pausa ''Məṯūšālaḥ'', "His death shall send" or "Man of the javelin" or "Death of Sword"; gr, Μαθουσάλας ''Mathousalas'') was a biblical patriarch and a f ...

, and

Terah Terah or Terach ( he, תֶּרַח ''Teraḥ'') is a biblical figure in the Book of Genesis. He is listed as the son of Nahor and father of the patriarch Abraham. As such, he is a descendant of Shem's son Arpachshad. Terah is mentioned in Gen ...

are all so named) and Tobit. The name Edna may also be an Anglicized form of the Irish and Scottish name

Eithne Eithne is a female personal name of Irish origin, meaning "kernel" or "grain". Other spellings and earlier forms include Ethnea, Ethlend, Ethnen, Ethlenn, Ethnenn, Eithene, Ethne, Aithne, Enya, Ena, Edna, Etney, Eithnenn, Eithlenn, Eithna, Ethni, ...

, meaning "kernel" in Gaelic.Behind the Name - Eithne
Campbell, Mike This was a very popular girl's name in the United States in the early 20th century, but has since become unfashionable. It is also a very rare

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

. Edna, as derived from Hebrew, is closely related etymologically to the name Eden.

People with the given name Edna

* Edna Béjarano (born 1951), Israeli singer *

Edna Best Edna Clara Best (3 March 1900 – 18 September 1974) was a British actress. Early life Born in Hove, Sussex, England, she was educated in Brighton and later studied dramatic acting under Miss Kate Rorke who was the first professor of Drama at ...

(1900–1974), British actress * Edna Deane (1905–1995), English ballroom dancer, choreographer and author *

Ednah Dow Littlehale Cheney Ednah Dow Littlehale Cheney (June 27, 1824 – November 19, 1904) was an American writer, reformer, and philanthropist. She was born on Beacon Hill, Boston, June 27, 1824; and was educated in private schools in Boston. Cheney served as secretary ...

(1824–1904), American writer, reformer, philanthropist * Edna Cain Daniel (1875–1957), American journalist and publisher *

Edna Doré Edna Lillian Doré (née Gorring; 31 May 1921 – 11 April 2014) was a British actress. She was known for her bit-part roles in sitcoms and for playing the character of Mo Butcher in '' EastEnders'' from 1988 to 1990. Career Doré began her c ...

(1922–2014), British actress * Edna Eicke (1919–1979), American illustrator *

Edna Ferber Edna Ferber (August 15, 1885 – April 16, 1968) was an American novelist, short story writer and playwright. Her novels include the Pulitzer Prize-winning '' So Big'' (1924), ''Show Boat'' (1926; made into the celebrated 1927 musical), '' Ci ...

(1885–1968), American novelist *

Edna Indermaur Edna Freda Indermaur (December 21, 1892 - January 10, 1985) was an American contralto singer. Biography Indermaur was born on December 21, 1892 in Buffalo, New York, United States. She was of Swiss descent and a member of the In der Maur fam ...

(1892-1985), American contralto *

Edna Iturralde Edna Iturralde (born 1948) is an Ecuadorian author who has won multiple national and international awards. She is considered the most important figure in children and young adult's literature of her country and, with fifty-seven books published, ...

(born 1948), Ecuadorian author * Edna F. Kelly (1906–1997), American politician *

Edna Lewis Edna Regina Lewis (April 13, 1916 – February 13, 2006) was a renowned American chef, teacher, and author who helped refine the American view of Southern cooking. She championed the use of fresh, in season ingredients and characterized Southern ...

(1916–2006), African-American chef *

Edna Madzongwe Edna Madzongwe (born 11 July 1943) is a Zimbabwean politician who was the President of the Senate of the Republic of Zimbabwe from 2005 to 2018. Political career She was elected as President of the Senate on 30 November 2005, the first female ...

(born 1943), Zimbabwean politician *

Edna Manley Edna Swithenbank Manley, Jamaican Order of Merit, OM (28 February 1900 – 2 February 1987) is considered one of the most important artists and arts educators in Jamaica. She was known primarily as a sculptor although her oeuvre included signi ...

(1900–1987), Jamaican sculptor * Dame

Edna O'Brien Josephine Edna O'Brien (born 15 December 1930) is an Irish novelist, memoirist, playwright, poet and short-story writer. Elected to Aosdána by her fellow artists, she was honoured with the title Saoi in 2015 and the "UK and Ireland Nobel" ...

(born 1930), Irish writer *

Edna Pahewa Edna Pahewa (born 1954) is a New Zealand weaver and was the head of weaving () at Te Rito, the weaving school of the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute, for 18 years. Her work is held in the permanent collection of Te Papa. Biograp ...

(born 1954), New Zealand weaver *

Edna Dean Proctor Edna Dean Proctor (September 18, 1829 – December 18, 1923) was an American author and poet. Although she occasionally wrote short sketches and stories, poetry was her field. Proctor was characterized as a master of pathos. Her early environmen ...

(1829–1923), American poet *

Edna Purviance Olga Edna Purviance (; October 21, 1895 – January 13, 1958) was an American actress of the silent film era. She was the leading lady in many of Charlie Chaplin's early films and in a span of eight years, she appeared in over 30 films with hi ...

(1895–1958), American actress *

Edna St. Vincent Millay Edna St. Vincent Millay (February 22, 1892 – October 19, 1950) was an American lyrical poet and playwright. Millay was a renowned social figure and noted feminist in New York City during the Roaring Twenties and beyond. She wrote much of he ...

(1892–1950), American poet and playwright * Edna Stern (born 1977), Belgian-Israeli pianist *

Edna Tichenor Edna Frances Tichenor (April 1, 1901 – November 19, 1965) was an American film actress whose career was most prominent in the silent film era of the 1920s, affecting an onscreen vamp persona. She is perhaps best recalled for three roles ...

(1901–1965), American actress *

Edna Adan Ismail Edna Adan Ismail ( so, Edna Aadan Ismaaciil ama Adna Aadan Ismaaciil) (born 8 September 1937) is a nurse midwife, activist and was the first female Foreign Minister of Somaliland from 2003 to 2006. She previously served as Somaliland's Minis ...

(Born 1937), Somali foreign Minister, Midwife, FGM abolitionist and former First first lady of Somaliland

Fictional characters

* Edna, maid of the Birlings in the play

An Inspector Calls ''An Inspector Calls'' is a play written by English dramatist J. B. Priestley, first performed in the Soviet Union in 1945 and at the New Theatre in London the following year. It is one of Priestley's best-known works for the stage and is c ...

* ''

Edna, the Inebriate Woman "Edna, the Inebriate Woman" is the second episode of second season of the British BBC anthology TV series '' Play for Today''. The episode was a television play that was originally broadcast on 21 October 1971. "Edna, the Inebriate Woman" was wri ...

'', 1971 BBC TV drama *

Edna Birch Edna Birch is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Shirley Stelfox. She made her first appearance during the episode first broadcast on 25 May 2000. Edna is characterised as a proud and independent Ch ...

in the television series ''

Emmerdale ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British soap opera that is broadcast on ITV1. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, ...

'' * Edna Braithwaite, a maid in ''

Downton Abbey ''Downton Abbey'' is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes. The series first aired in the United Kingdom on ITV on 26 September 2010 and in the United States o ...

'' *

Dame Edna Everage Dame Edna Everage, often known simply as Dame Edna, is a character created and performed by Australian comedian Barry Humphries, known for her lilac-coloured ("wisteria hue") hair and cat eye glasses ("face furniture"); her favourite flower, t ...

Edna Garrett This is a list of characters from the NBC sitcom '' The Facts of Life''. Characters table Edna Garrett Edna Ann Garrett Gaines, known as Mrs. Garrett or Mrs. G, was played by the actress Charlotte Rae from 1978 to 1986. Garrett was the you ...

in the television series ''

Diff'rent Strokes ''Diff'rent Strokes'' is an American television sitcom, which aired on NBC from November 3, 1978, to May 4, 1985, and on ABC from September 27, 1985, to March 7, 1986. The series stars Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges as Arnold and Willis Jackso ...

'' and '' The Facts of Life'' *

Edna Gee '' Coronation Street'' is a British soap opera, initially produced by Granada Television. Created by writer Tony Warren, ''Coronation Street'' first broadcast on ITV on 9 December 1960. The following is a list of characters introduced in the sh ...

in the

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

soap opera '' Coronation Street'' in the 1970s *

Edna Krabappel Edna Krabappel-Flanders ( Krabappel; ) is a fictional character from the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'', voiced by Marcia Wallace from 1990 until her death in October 2013. She was a 4th-grade teacher, who taught Bart Simpson's class a ...

in the television series ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...

'' *

Edna Mode Edna "E" Mode is a fictional character in Pixar's animated superhero film ''The Incredibles'' (2004) and its sequel ''Incredibles 2'' (2018). She is an eccentric fashion designer renowned for designing the costumes of several famous superheroes, ...

, fictional fashion designer in the animated film ''

The Incredibles ''The Incredibles'' is a 2004 American computer-animated superhero film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Written and directed by Brad Bird, it stars the voices of Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah ...

'' * Edna Pontellier in Kate Chopin's novel " The Awakening" * Edna Spalding in the 1984 film ''

Places in the Heart ''Places in the Heart'' is a 1984 American film written and directed by Robert Benton. It stars Sally Field, Lindsay Crouse, Ed Harris, Ray Baker, Amy Madigan, John Malkovich, Danny Glover, Jerry Haynes and Terry O'Quinn. The film's narrative ...

'' * Edna Turnblad in the 1988 film ''

Hairspray Hairspray may refer to: * Hair spray, a personal grooming product that keeps hair protected from humidity and wind * ''Hairspray'' (1988 film), a film by John Waters ** ''Hairspray'' (1988 soundtrack), the film's soundtrack album ** ''Hairspray ...

'' and subsequent adaptations as a

stage musical Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

and musical film

References

{{given name Hebrew feminine given names Irish feminine given names English feminine given names Modern names of Hebrew origin

People with the given name Edna

Fictional characters

See also

References