Hilda

right|thumb|Saint Hilda at [[Hartlepool by James Clark.]]right|thumb|Hilda and the Doves, an illustration for Nathaniel Hawthorne’s [[The Marble Faun.]] right|thumb|An illustration for Hilda Wade by [[Grant Allen.]] Hilda is one of several feminine given names derived from the name Hild, formed from Old Norse , meaning 'battle'. Hild, a Nordic-German Bellona, was a Valkyrie who conveyed fallen warriors to Valhalla. Warfare was often called Hild's Game. Hilda of Whitby was an early Christian saint.

Hylda is a spelling variant. Hilde is a variant of Hilda. Another variation on Hild is Hildur. Hildy is an English nickname. Ildikó is a Hungarian form of the name. ==Cultural influences== The name became rare in England during the later Middle Ages, but was revived in the 19th century. Several English-language popular 19th century novelists used the name Hilda for their heroines. Hilda Scarve was the romantic heroine of the 1842 novel ''The Miser's Daughter by William Harrison Ainsworth. Nathaniel Hawthorne used the name Hilda for the innocent art student heroine of his 1860 novel The Marble Faun. Hilda Van Gleck is a wealthy girl in Mary Mapes Dodge’s 1865 children’s novel Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates. The hero wants to impress Hilda by winning a race. Hilda Wade by author Grant Allen was published in 1900. In the crime fiction novel, heroine Hilda refuses to marry a man unless he helps solve the murder of her father.