Meaning & History
Idida is a Latin form of Jedidah, used in the Latin translation of the Old Testament (the Vulgate). The name appears in 2 Kings 22:1, where it identifies the mother of King Josiah of Judah.
Idida derives from the Hebrew name Jedidah (yaḏiḏ), meaning “beloved” or “friend.” In the biblical account, Jedidah (Idida in Latin) is the wife of King Amon of Judah and the mother of Josiah. According to the Hebrew Bible, Josiah became king after his father Amon’s assassination and instituted major religious reforms, centralizing worship in Jerusalem. He was known for his piety and for rediscovering the Book of the Law in the Temple (likely an early version of Deuteronomy).
The Latin form Idida appears in Jerome’s Vulgate (late 4th–early 5th century AD), which standardized the Latin text used by the Western Church for centuries. As such, Idida is firmly a name of early Christian tradition, adapted from Jewish sources into classical Latin phonology. It has no common usage today and is rarely found outside liturgical or historical contexts.
The name is not directly connected to contemporary names, though its root yadid is the source of the modern Israeli name Yedid (meaning “friend”). Variants of the same original name include Iedida (Biblical Greek) and Yedida (Biblical Hebrew).
In onomastic terms, Idida is a Romanization of a Hebrew name via Greek. The Greek Septuagint transcribed the Hebrew as Iedida, which was then adapted to Idida into Latin. This reflects the classical preference for reduced vowels and Latin suffixes.
Especially for ancestors of Josiah, Idida is documented against vague religious commentary. According to 2 Kings 22:1 (Vulgate_): “Octo annorum erat Iosias cum regnare coepisset et triginta uno anno regnavit in Ierusalem … nomen matris eius Idida filia Adaia de Bascat”. This literally reads: “Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years … Peeking earlier Bible entries, he actually dies, according to others, without any clue.
Nothing else concrete is recorded about Idida. Actually her mother: No action appears outside.
Etymology
Given Idida is directly translated from biblical Hebrew: The original root yadad (well might based on Modern interpretations equivalent verb) plus vocalization i suffix of Hebrew it just gets known from multiple terms and family-structure references producing apparent name in (such usage). By this single attestation only, the straightforward root emerges. Likely connected thanks literally many nations only mention no separate personal record.” might well but from usual minor figures these small impacts usually barely cross semetics to still link positive tone friend always found pleasant. Since textual portion less likely subject rare events—each clear translation essentially inflect.