ÆLFGIFU f Anglo-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.
ÆLFHEAH m Anglo-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.
ÆLFWINE m Anglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
ælf "elf" and
wine "friend". This name was not commonly used after the Norman Conquest.
ÆSC m Anglo-SaxonMeans
"ash tree" in Old English. This was the nickname of a 5th-century king of Kent, whose birth name was Oeric.
ÆÐELBERHT m Anglo-SaxonOld English cognate of
Adalbert (see
ALBERT). This was the name of a Saxon king of England and two kings of Kent, one of whom was a saint. It became unused after the Normans introduced their form of
Adalbert after their invasion.
ÆÐELFLÆD f Anglo-SaxonOld English name composed of the elements
æðel "noble" and
flæd "beauty". Æðelflæd was a 10th-century queen of Mercia.
ÆÐELFRIÐ m Anglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
æðel "noble" and
friþ "peace". The name was rarely used after the Norman Conquest.
ÆÐELRÆD m Anglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
æðel "noble" and
ræd "counsel". This was the name of two Saxon kings of England including Æðelræd II "the Unready" whose realm was overrun by the Danes in the early 11th century. The name was rarely used after the Norman Conquest.
ÆÐELRIC m Anglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
æðel "noble" and
ric "ruler". This was the name of several early Anglo-Saxon kings.
ÆÐELSTAN m Anglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
æðel "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.
ÆÐELWINE m Anglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
æðel "noble" and
wine "friend". This name became rare after the Norman Conquest. Saint Æðelwine was a 7th-century bishop of Lindsey, England.
COLA m Anglo-SaxonOld English byname meaning
"charcoal", originally given to a person with dark features.
CYNEBURG f Anglo-SaxonMeans
"royal fortress" from Old English
cyne "royal" and
burg "fortress". Saint Cyneburga, a daughter of a king of Mercia, was the founder of an abbey at Gloucester in the 7th century.
DUNSTAN m English (Rare), Anglo-SaxonFrom the Old English elements
dunn "dark" and
stan "stone". This name was borne by a 10th-century saint, the archbishop of Canterbury. It was occasionally used in the Middle Ages, though it died out after the 16th century. It was revived by the Tractarian movement in the 19th century.
EADBERHT m Anglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
beorht "bright". This was the name of an 8th-century king of Northumbria and three kings of Kent.
EADWALD m Anglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
weald "power, ruler". This was the name of an 8th-century king of East Anglia.
EADWIG m Anglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
wig "war". This was the name of a Saxon king of England in the 10th century. The name fell out of use after the Norman Conquest.
EADWULF m Anglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
ead "wealth, fortune" and
wulf "wolf". This name fell out of use after the Norman Conquest.
EALDRÆD m Anglo-SaxonFrom the Old English elements
eald "old" and
ræd "counsel". This name was rarely used after the Norman Conquest.
EOFORHILD f Anglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
eofor "boar" and
hild "battle". This name was rarely used after the Norman Conquest.
EOFORWINE m Anglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
eofor "boar" and
wine "friend". This name was rarely used after the Norman Conquest.
GLÆDWINE m Anglo-SaxonOld English name derived from the elements
glæd "bright" and
wine "friend". This name was not actually recorded in the Old English era, though it is attested starting in the 11th century.
GODIVA f Anglo-Saxon (Latinized)Latinized form of the Old English name
Godgifu meaning
"gift of god", from the elements
god and
giefu "gift". Lady Godiva was an 11th-century English noblewoman who, according to legend, rode naked through the streets of Coventry to protest the high taxes imposed by her husband upon the townspeople.
GODRIC m Anglo-SaxonMeans
"god's ruler", derived from Old English
god combined with
ric "ruler, mighty". This name died out a few centuries after the Norman Conquest.
GODWINE m Anglo-SaxonMeans
"friend of god", derived from Old English
god combined with
wine "friend". This was the name of the powerful 11th-century Earl of Wessex, the father of King Harold II of England.
HEARD m Anglo-SaxonShort form of various Old English names containing the element
heard meaning
"brave, hardy".
HEREWARD m Anglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
here "army" and
weard "guard". This was the name of an 11th-century Anglo-Saxon leader who rebelled against Norman rule.
HROÐGAR m Anglo-SaxonOld English cognate of
Hrodger (see
ROGER). The name became unused after the Normans introduced
Hrodger after their invasion. In the Old English poem
Beowulf this is the name of the Danish king.
LEOFWINE m Anglo-SaxonMeans
"dear friend", derived from the Old English elements
leof "dear, agreeable, beloved" and
wine "friend". This was the name of an 8th-century English saint, also known as Lebuin, who did missionary work in Frisia.
MILDGYÐ f Anglo-SaxonOld English name derived from the elements
milde "gentle" and
gyð "battle". This was the name of a 7th-century saint, the sister of Saint Mildred.
OSWALD m English, German, Anglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
os "god" and
weald "power, ruler". Saint Oswald was a king of Northumbria who introduced Christianity to northeast England in the 7th century before being killed in battle. There was also an Old Norse cognate
Ásvaldr in use in England, being borne by the 10th-century Saint Oswald of Worcester, who was of Danish ancestry. Though the name had died out by the end of the Middle Ages, it was revived in the 19th century.
SIGEBERHT m Anglo-SaxonMeans
"bright victory", derived from Old English
sige "victory" and
beorht "bright". This was the name of a king of Wessex. The name fell out of use after the Norman Conquest.
WASSA f Anglo-SaxonMeaning uncertain. It may be a short form of a longer name such as
Wāðsige, composed of the elements
wāð "hunt" and
sige "victory".
WULFNOÐ m Anglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
wulf "wolf" and
noð "boldness, daring". This name became rare after the Norman Conquest.
WULFRUN f Anglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
wulf "wolf" and
run "secret, mystery". This was the name of a 10th-century English noblewoman who founded the city of Wolverhampton.