Gender Masculine
Pronounced Pron. A-dhehl-stahn  [key·IPA]

Meaning & History

Derived from the Old English elements æðele "noble" and stan "stone". This was the name of a 10th-century English king, the first to rule all of England. The name was rarely used after the Norman Conquest, though it enjoyed a modest revival (as Athelstan) in the 19th century.

Related Names

VariantÆthelstan
Other Languages & CulturesAthelstan(English) Aðalsteinn(Icelandic) Aðalsteinn(Old Norse)
Same SpellingÆthelstan

People think this name is

classic   mature   formal   upper class   natural   wholesome   strong   strange   complex   serious  

Categories

Sources & References

  1. Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England, available from http://www.pase.ac.uk/jsp/index.jsp.
  2. Searle, William George. Onomasticon Anglo-Saxonicum. Cambridge, 1897, page 51.
Entry updated December 7, 2022