AAFJEfDutchShort form of names beginning with the Germanic element
alf "elf".
ÆLFGIFUfAnglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
ælf "elf" and
giefu "gift". This was the name of the first wife of the English king Æðelræd II.
ÆLFHEAHmAnglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
ælf "elf" and
heah "high". This was the name of an 11th-century archbishop of Canterbury, a saint and martyr, who is commonly known as Alphege or Elphege.
ÆLFWINEmAnglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
ælf "elf" and
wine "friend". This name was not commonly used after the Norman conquest.
AILILLmIrish, Irish MythologyMeans "elf" in Irish Gaelic. This name occurs frequently in Irish legend, borne for example by the husband of Queen
Medb.
ALBERICHmAncient Germanic, Germanic MythologyDerived from the Germanic elements
alf "elf" and
ric "power". Alberich was the name of the sorcerer king of the dwarfs in Germanic mythology. He also appears in the 'Nibelungenlied' as a dwarf who guards the treasure of the Nibelungen.
ALF (1)mSwedish, Norwegian, Danish, Norse MythologyDerived from Old Norse
alfr "elf". In Norse legend this was the name of king, the suitor of a reluctant maiden named Alfhild. She avoided marrying him by disguising herself as a warrior, but when they fought she was so impressed by his strength that she changed her mind.
ALFHILDfNorwegian, SwedishFrom the Old Norse name
Alfhildr which was composed of the elements
alfr "elf" and
hildr "battle". In Norse legend Alfhild was a maiden who disguised herself as a warrior in order to avoid marriage to King Alf. Her life was perhaps based on that of a 9th-century Viking pirate.
ALFREDmEnglish, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Polish, DutchDerived from the Old English name
Ælfræd, composed of the elements
ælf "elf" and
ræd "counsel". Alfred the Great was a 9th-century king of Wessex who fought unceasingly against the Danes living in northeast England. He was also a scholar, and he translated many Latin books into Old English. His fame helped to ensure the usage of this name even after the Norman conquest, when most Old English names were replaced by Norman ones. It became rare by the end of the Middle Ages, but was revived in the 18th century.
... [more] ALGARmEnglish (Rare)Means "elf spear" from Old English
ælf "elf" and
gar "spear". This Old English name was rarely used after the Norman conquest, being absorbed by similar-sounding names and Norman and Scandinavian cognates. It was briefly revived in the 19th century.
ELFREDAfEnglishMiddle English form of the Old English name
Ælfþryð meaning "elf strength", derived from the element
ælf "elf" combined with
þryð "strength".
Ælfþryð was common amongst Anglo-Saxon nobility, being borne for example by the mother of King Æðelræd the Unready. This name was rare after the Norman conquest, but it was revived in the 19th century.
FAYfEnglishDerived from Middle English
faie meaning "fairy", ultimately (via Old French) from Latin
fata meaning "the Fates". It appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Arthurian legends in the name of Morgan le Fay. It has been used as a given name since the 19th century. In some cases it may be used as a short form of
FAITH.
GANDALFmNorse Mythology, LiteratureMeans "wand elf" in Old Norse, from the elements
gandr "wand, staff, cane" and
álfr "elf". This name belongs to a dwarf in the 'Völuspá', a 13th-century Scandinavian manuscript which forms part of the Poetic Edda. The author J. R. R. Tolkien borrowed the name for a wizard in his novels 'The Hobbit' (1937) and 'The Lord of the Rings' (1954).
NEREIDAfSpanishDerived from Greek
Νηρειδες (Nereides) meaning "nymphs, sea sprites", ultimately derived from the name of the Greek sea god
NEREUS, who supposedly fathered them.
NERISSAfLiteratureCreated by Shakespeare for a character in his play 'The Merchant of Venice' (1596). He possibly took it from Greek
Νηρεις (Nereis) meaning "nymph, sea sprite", ultimately derived from the name of the Greek sea god
NEREUS, who supposedly fathered them.
SAGAfNorse Mythology, Swedish, IcelandicPossibly means "seeing one" in Old Norse. This was the name of the Norse goddess of poetry and history, sometimes identified with the goddess
Frigg. This is also a modern Swedish word meaning "story, fairy tale".
TIÊNfVietnameseFrom Sino-Vietnamese
仙 (tiên) meaning "immortal, transcendent, celestial being, fairy".
TÜNDEfHungarianDerived from Hungarian
tündér meaning "fairy". The Hungarian poet Mihály Vörösmarty created this name in the 19th century.