Brunhilde is a German feminine given name, derived from a combination of the Germanic word elements "brun", or "armor", and "hild", or "battle". The Valkyrie Brunhild is a heroine of Germanic heroic legend.
Variants in regular use include the Albanian, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish "Brunilda" and "Brunilde"; the Norwegian "Brynhild"; and the Icelandic "Brynhildur".
Brunhilde was in regular use for girls in Germany from the late 19th century through the 1960s, a time period when romantic German nationalism was in vogue and the names of idealized heroines such as Brunhild from Germanic heroic legend became more popular. Brünhild was also a character in Richard Wagner's four-part opera cycle "Der Ring des Nibelungen", which became popular world-wide in the late 1800s.