National Judy Day – January 20, 2025

History of National Judy Day

The name Judy was first used in the 18th century as a diminutive form of Judith. Judy was the nickname of choice for almost all the Judiths born in the 1940s and 50s when the name was most popular. In 1946, it was ranked as the 11th most popular name in the United States. Nowadays, Judiths are much more likely to be simply called ‘Judith’ or ‘Jude’.

As for the original name Judith, it was used on the European continent, being carried by several European royals, such as the 9th century Judith of Bavaria. Despite this handful of early examples during the Middle Ages, it did not become common as an English name until after the Protestant Reformation, which was a widespread movement to reform the Catholic Church in Western Europe that began in 1517. It culminated in the devastating 30 Years War, which ended in 1648.

In the end, Protestantism became the dominant religion in parts of Europe. This had a profound effect on given names as the names of saints fell out of favor, and names appearing in the “Bible” came into fashion. In England, Puritans embraced names from the ‘Old Testament’ in the 17th century. In that book, Judith is one of the Hittite wives of Esau. This is also the name of the main character of the apocryphal ‘Book of Judith,’ in which she beheaded Holofernes, an invading Assyrian commander, in his sleep.