Meaning and history
Gytha is an archaic English form of Old Norse Gyða, a diminutive of Guðríðr. The longer name combines guð, “god,” with fríðr, “beautiful” or “beloved.” It was borne by Gytha Thorkelsdóttir, the Danish noblewoman who married Earl Godwin of Wessex and became the mother of King Harold II. Another historical bearer was her granddaughter Gytha of Wessex, who married Vladimir II Monomakh of Kiev. The name was briefly used in medieval England and revived in the nineteenth century.