Helga
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Helga |
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|---|---|
| Gender | Female |
| Meaning | heilagr - "holy", "blessed" |
| Origin | Old Norse |
| Related names | Helle, Helge, Helga, Helka or Oili |
| Wikipedia articles | All pages beginning with Helga |
Helga (derived from Old Norse heilagr - "holy", "blessed") is a female name, used mainly in Scandinavia, Germany (Hege, Helle, Helge, Helga, Helka or Oili). The name was in use in England before the Norman Conquest, but appears to have died out afterwards. It was re-introduced to English-speaking nations in the 20th century from Germany and the Nordic countries.
The name Olga, which is commonly thought to derive from Helga, actually derives from the Old Slavonic Volga (free man) or Volh (pagan priest). It is used in Russia (Ольга), Ukraine (Ольга), Belarus (Вольга), Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, Serbia (Olga), Iceland. The Russian male equivalent is Oleg (Олeг).
Name days: Estonia - May 31, Bulgaria, Poland, Czech Republic, Greece and France - July 11, Slovakia - July 23, Russia - July 24, Hungary - July 27 (for Olga) and October 3 (for Helga), Latvia - August 11, Sweden - November 21.
