Names Categorized "archaic English"

Albertus m Germanic (Latinized), Dutch
Latinized form of Albert. This is the official Dutch form of the name, used on birth certificates but commonly rendered Albert in daily life.

Athelstan m English (Archaic)
Modern form of Æðelstan. This name was revived in Britain the latter half of the 19th century.

Baldric m English (Archaic)
Derived from the Old German elements bald "bold, brave" and rih "ruler, king". It was borne by a 7th-century Frankish saint, the founder of the monastery of Montfaucon. The Normans introduced this name to Britain, and it was common in the Middle Ages.

Christobel f English (Archaic)
Variant of Christabel.

Crispian m English (Archaic)
Medieval variant of Crispin.

Dederick m English (Archaic)
Older form of Derek.

Docia f English (Archaic)
Possibly a diminutive of Theodosia.

Dreda f English (Archaic)
Short form of Etheldreda.

Drogo m English (Archaic)
Norman name, possibly derived from Gothic dragan meaning "to carry, to pull" or Old Saxon drog meaning "ghost, illusion". Alternatively, it could be related to the Slavic element dorgŭ meaning "precious, dear". The Normans introduced this name to England.

Dulcibella f English (Archaic)
From Latin dulcis "sweet" and bella "beautiful". The usual medieval spelling of this name was Dowsabel, and the Latinized form Dulcibella was revived in the 18th century.

Ebenezer m Literature, English
From the name of a monument erected by Samuel in the Old Testament, from Hebrew אֶבֶן הָעָזֶר ('Even Ha'azer) meaning "stone of help". Charles Dickens used it for the miserly character Ebenezer Scrooge in his novel A Christmas Carol (1843). Currently the name is most common in parts of English-influenced Africa, such as Ghana.

Elfleda f English (Archaic)
Middle English form of both the Old English names Æðelflæd and Ælfflæd. These names became rare after the Norman Conquest, but Elfleda was briefly revived in the 19th century.

Elihu m Biblical, Biblical Hebrew, English (Archaic)
Means "my God is he" in Hebrew. This was the name of several characters in the Old Testament including one of the friends of Job.

Eppie f English (Archaic)
Diminutive of Euphemia or Hephzibah.

Ermintrude f English (Archaic)
English form of Ermendrud. It was occasionally used until the 19th century.

Ethelbert m English (Archaic)
Middle English form of Æþelbeorht. The name was very rare after the Norman Conquest, but it was revived briefly in the 19th century.

Ethelinda f English (Archaic)
English form of the Germanic name Adallinda. The name was very rare in medieval times, but it was revived in the early 19th century.

Ethelred m English (Archaic)
Middle English form of Æðelræd. The name was very rare after the Norman Conquest, but it was revived briefly in the 19th century.

Euphemia f Ancient Greek, English (Archaic)
Means "to use words of good omen" from Greek εὐφημέω (euphemeo), a derivative of εὖ (eu) meaning "good" and φημί (phemi) meaning "to speak, to declare". Saint Euphemia was an early martyr from Chalcedon.

Fulk m English (Archaic)
From the Germanic name Fulco, a short form of various names beginning with Old Frankish fulk or Old High German folk meaning "people" (Proto-Germanic *fulką). The Normans brought this name to England, though it is now very rare.

Fulke m English (Archaic)
Variant of Fulk.

Githa f English (Archaic)
Variant of Gytha.

Gytha f English (Archaic)
From Gyða, an Old Norse diminutive of Guðríðr. It was borne by a Danish noblewoman who married the English lord Godwin of Wessex in the 11th century. The name was used in England for a short time after that, and was revived in the 19th century.

Hamnet m English (Archaic)
Diminutive of Hamo. This was the name of a son of Shakespeare who died in childhood. His death may have provided the inspiration for his father's play Hamlet.

Idonea f English (Archaic)
Medieval English name, probably a Latinized form of Iðunn. The spelling may have been influenced by Latin idonea "suitable". It was common in England from the 12th century.

Idony f English (Archaic)
Medieval English vernacular form of Idonea.

Jep m English (Archaic)
Medieval diminutive of Geoffrey.

Jeptha m English (Archaic)
Variant of Jephthah.

Lettice f English (Archaic)
Medieval form of Letitia.

Marilla f English (Archaic)
Possibly a diminutive of Mary or a variant of Amaryllis. More common in the 19th century, this name was borne by the American suffragist Marilla Ricker (1840-1920). It is also the name of the adoptive mother of Anne in L. M. Montgomery's novel Anne of Green Gables (1908).

Melicent f English (Archaic)
Older form of Millicent.

Meriel f English (Archaic)
Variant of Muriel.

Moss m English (Archaic), Jewish
Medieval form of Moses.

Nigellus m English (Archaic)
Latin form of Nigel.

Pancras m English (Archaic)
Medieval English form of Pancratius. The relics of the 4th-century saint Pancratius were sent to England by Pope Gregory the Great, leading to the saint's veneration there.

Parnel f English (Archaic)
Contracted form of Petronel. In the later Middle Ages it became a slang term for a promiscuous woman, and the name subsequently fell out of use.

Permelia f English (Archaic)
Meaning unknown, possibly an early American alteration of Pamela.

Pernel f English (Archaic)
Variant of Parnel.

Peronel f English (Archaic)
Contracted form of Petronel.

Pleasance f English (Archaic)
From the medieval name Plaisance, which meant "pleasant" in Old French.

Rayner m English (Archaic)
From the Germanic name Raginheri, composed of the elements regin "advice, counsel, decision" and heri "army". Saint Rainerius was a 12th-century hermit from Pisa. The Normans brought this name to England where it came into general use, though it was rare by the end of the Middle Ages.

Sidony f English (Archaic)
Feminine form of Sidonius. This name was in use in the Middle Ages, when it became associated with the word sindon (of Greek origin) meaning "linen", a reference to the Shroud of Turin.

Sylvanus m English (Archaic)
Variant of Silvanus.

Tacey f English (Archaic)
Derived from Latin tace meaning "be silent". It was in use from the 16th century, though it died out two centuries later.

Tetty f English (Archaic)
Diminutive of Elizabeth.

Tolly m English (Archaic)
Diminutive of Bartholomew.