Valdís is an Icelandic 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 f ...

. It is also used as a (very rare) female name in the other Nordic countries. Its use in Iceland dates back to the settlement period. Although having a nearly identical spelling, it is completely unrelated to the Latvian male given name

Valdis Valdis is a Latvian language masculine given name. It is derived from two possible sources; from the Latvian word ''valdīt'' ("rule") or as a shortened form of Valdemārs, the Latvian form of Waldemar. Valdis may refer to the following: *Valdis ...

. The name is formed from two very common Norse name elements, ''val'' and ''dís'', meaning respectively ‘those dead in battle’ (compare

Valkyrie In Norse mythology, a valkyrie ( or ; from ) is one of a host of female figures who guide souls of the dead to the god Odin's hall Valhalla. There, the deceased warriors become ('single fighters' or 'once fighters').Orchard (1997:36) and Li ...

) and ‘goddess’ or ‘female guardian-angel’. Notable people with the name Valdís include: * Steinunn Valdís Óskarsdóttir (born 1965), Icelandic politician, mayor of Reykjavík 2004–2006 *

Valdís Óskarsdóttir Valdís Óskarsdóttir (born 6 May 1949) is an Icelandic film editor, whose work includes ''The Celebration'', ''Les Misérables'', ''Finding Forrester'' and ''Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind''. She received multiple awards in early 2005 ...

(born 1950), Icelandic film editor * Valdís Þóra Jónsdóttir (born 1989), Icelandic professional golfer

References

{{reflist Icelandic feminine given names Feminine given names