Heidi is a German diminutive of Adelheid, meaning 'nobility' or 'noble type'. It gained widespread recognition as the name of the title character in the children's novel 'Heidi' (1880) by Swiss author Johanna Spyri. The novel, which tells the story of a young girl living in the Swiss Alps, became a classic of children's literature and contributed to the name's popularity in the English-speaking world, especially after the 1937 film adaptation starring Shirley Temple.