ÆLFGIFUfAnglo-Saxon Derived 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-Saxon Derived 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.
ÆLFNOÐmAnglo-Saxon Derived from the Old English element ælf "elf" combined with noð "boldness, daring".
ALBERICHmAncient Germanic, Germanic Mythology Derived from the Germanic elements alf "elf" and ric "ruler, mighty". 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.
ALBOINmAncient Germanic Form of ALFWIN. This was the name of a 6th-century king of the Lombards who began the Lombard conquest of Italy.
ALF (1)mSwedish, Norwegian, Danish, Norse Mythology Derived from Old Norse alfr meaning "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, Swedish From the Old Norse name Alfhildr, which was composed of the elements alfr "elf" and hildr "battle". In Scandinavian 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, Dutch Means "elf counsel", derived 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]
ALVINmEnglish, Swedish From a medieval form of any of the Old English names ÆLFWINE, ÆÐELWINE or EALDWINE. It was revived in the 19th century, in part from a surname that was derived from the Old English names. As a Scandinavian name it is derived from Alfvin, an Old Norse cognate of Ælfwine.
AUBREYm & fEnglish Norman French form of the Germanic name ALBERICH. As an English masculine name it was common in the Middle Ages, and was revived in the 19th century. Since the mid-1970s it has more frequently been given to girls, due to Bread's 1972 song Aubrey along with its similarity to the established feminine name Audrey.
ELFLEDAfEnglish (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.
ELFREDAfEnglish Middle 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.
GANDALFmNorse Mythology, Literature Means "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 that 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).
KEIJOmFinnish Derived from Finnish keiju meaning "elf, fairy".
OLIVERmEnglish, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Catalan, Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian, Czech, Slovak From Olivier, a Norman French form of a Germanic name such as ALFHER or an Old Norse name such as Áleifr (see OLAF). The spelling was altered by association with Latin oliva "olive tree". In the Middle Ages the name became well-known in Western Europe because of the French epic La Chanson de Roland, in which Olivier was a friend and advisor of the hero Roland.... [more]
OLIVETTEfLiterature Feminine form of OLIVER. This was the name of the title character in the French opera Les noces d'Olivette (1879) by Edmond Audran.
OLIVIAfEnglish, Italian, Spanish, French, German, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish This name was used in this spelling by William Shakespeare for a character in his comedy Twelfth Night (1602). This was a rare name in Shakespeare's time that may have been based on OLIVA or OLIVER, or directly from the Latin word oliva meaning "olive". In the play Olivia is a noblewoman who is wooed by Duke Orsino but instead falls in love with his messenger Cesario.... [more]