Entry № 3013 · Sumerian origin

Enheduanna Enheduanna — Meaning, Origin & Baby Name Popularity

/ en-hed-oo-AH-nah /
Gender
Girl
Origin
Sumerian
Meaning
"World's first named author (Sumerian high priestess)"
Syllables
4
First recorded
Ancient (Sumerian)

A name that means "world's first named author (sumerian high priestess)".

Enheduanna is from the Sumerian En-ḫedu-ana (en = high priestess + ḫedu = ornament + an = the heaven god An — "High Priestess Ornament of An"). Enheduanna (c. Princess Enheduanna — modern naming.

and world literature history.

World's first named author (Sumerian high priestess) — a Sumerian name.

The name in its native script.

𒂗𒃶𒌌𒀭𒈾
Transliteration
En-ḫedu-ana
Pronunciation
/ ˌɛn.hɛdˈuː.ɑː.nə /
Root
Grammatical form

Where Enheduanna stands.

Enheduanna does not currently appear in the US Social Security Administration's top 1,000 girls' names, so we don't publish a US rank or birth count for it. That says nothing about the name's standing elsewhere in the world — only that it sits outside the ranked US data we rely on.

Enheduannas before her.

Real people
Enheduanna
World's first known named author.
c. 2285 – 2250 BCE
In fiction
Enheduanna
Sumerian high priestess.

Names connected to Enheduanna.

The number behind Enheduanna.

6

The Nurturer

In Pythagorean numerology the letters of Enheduanna reduce to 6, The Nurturer. This is a traditional interpretive system, not a factual claim about the name.