Hildegard

Hildegard is a feminine given name of German origin. It derives from the Old High German elements hild, "battle," and gard, "enclosure" or "protection," and is commonly interpreted as "battle-guard" or "protector in battle." The name has medieval roots and has yielded several variations, including Hildegarde, Hildegarda, and Hildegardis.

Hildegard of Bingen, also known as Saint Hildegard, (1098–1179) was a German Benedictine abbess, writer, composer, and mystic. Her visions and writings cover theology, natural history, medicine, and music. She was canonized in 2012 and proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in the same year.

Beyond Bingen, the name has been borne by other notable figures, including Hildegard Knef (Hildegard Knef, 1925–2002), a German actress and singer; Hildegard Peplau (1909–1999), an American nurse theorist; and Hildegard Bachert (1907–2012), a German-born American museum curator who helped shape the Jewish Museum in New York.