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Gunhild
How to Pronounce Gunhild
Pronounced GUUN-hild /ˈɡʊnhɪld/Low
Meaning: Gunhild is a genuine Old Norse name built from two war words: gunnr, 'war,' and hildr, 'battle.' The doubled sense gives it the traditional reading 'battle-maiden' or 'ready for war,' a fierce meaning common in early Scandinavian women's names.Medium
Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.
SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.
History & Origin
Gunhild is a true Old Norse name joining gunnr, 'war,' with hildr, 'battle,' and was borne by queens and noblewomen across medieval Scandinavia. In the United States it appears mainly among Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish immigrant families of the early twentieth century.
It was never common in America and clustered in the immigrant generation, reaching only about twenty girls a year at its high point in the nineteen-teens before all but disappearing. A girl named Gunhild then would have been born more than a century ago, firmly in the great-grandmother era.
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Gunhild mean?
It is an Old Norse name from gunnr, 'war,' and hildr, 'battle,' traditionally read as 'battle-maiden.'
How do you pronounce Gunhild?
It is said GUUN-hild /ˈɡʊnhɪld/, two syllables with the stress on the first.
Is Gunhild a boy or girl name?
Gunhild is a girl's name of Old Norse origin.
How popular is the name Gunhild?
It has always been rare in the United States, given to only about twenty girls a year even at its peak in the nineteen-teens, mostly in Scandinavian immigrant families.