Variant of Bridget, from Irish Brigid, the Celtic goddess of fire and poetry, meaning 'exalted one.'
Bridgett is a variant spelling of Bridget, one of Ireland's most ancient and venerated names. It derives from the Old Irish Brigid, rooted in the Proto-Celtic element "brig" meaning "power," "strength," "vigor," or "exalted one." Brigid was originally the name of a major goddess in the pre-Christian Irish pantheon — a triple deity presiding over poetry, healing, and smithcraft, associated with the sacred flame kept perpetually burning at Kildare.
When Christianity arrived in Ireland, the goddess's attributes and her sacred fire were seamlessly transferred to Saint Brigid of Kildare (c. 451–525 AD), one of Ireland's three patron saints alongside Patrick and Columba. Saint Brigid's legacy is extraordinary: she founded the monastery at Kildare, where a flame burned continuously until the twelfth century, and her feast day on February 1st — Imbolc in the Celtic calendar, marking the first stirring of spring — layered Christian observance over a pagan seasonal festival.
She became the patron of healers, poets, blacksmiths, and livestock farmers, a remarkably broad portfolio reflecting her goddess precursor. Her cross, woven from rushes, remains a symbol of Irish identity worldwide. The name crossed from Ireland into England and Scotland during the medieval period, and into the broader English-speaking world through Irish immigration.
Brigitte became the French form; Birgitta the Scandinavian (borne by Saint Birgitta of Sweden, mystic and patron saint of Europe). The spelling Bridgett with the doubled t gives the name a slightly more emphatic finish, distinguishing it from the more common Bridget while preserving its full Gaelic heritage. It remains a name of considerable spiritual and cultural depth.