Judy
A pet form of Judith, meaning “praised” in Hebrew.
The #5,040 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 44,347 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Judy is a short form of the biblical female name Judith, which comes from Hebrew and is traditionally explained as meaning “praised” or “woman from Judea.” In English it became a familiar nickname for Judith and later was used as an independent given name. The surname JUDY is most likely a name taken from that personal name.
History
The historical excerpts treat Judy as a female baptismal name and a nickname for Judith, with variants such as Jugge and Judyth. As a surname, it would usually have arisen from an ancestor’s given name rather than from a place or occupation. The name is especially familiar in English-speaking areas and was noted as common in Ireland in one source, though that remark applies to the given name rather than the surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same biblical name also produced other pet forms such as Jude and Ju.
From the historical record
“nicknames are Judy and Ju. JUDY. Found as a female baptismal name. See JUDITH. JUDYTH. Another spelling of Judith. JUERS. An Anglo-Norman form of George. JULIA. The feminine of Julius. JULIAN. A name derived from the Latin Julianus, formed from Julius. Julian is a female as well as a male name.”
— Praenomina; or, the etymology of the principal Christian names of Great Britain and Ireland