This list has two kinds of name. The first are real Anglo-Saxon names, recorded for people who lived in England before 1066: Æthelflæd, Eadgifu, Wulfstan, Leofric. The second are names still used today that grew out of them, such as Audrey (from Æthelthryth), Edith, Alfred and Edwin, plus a few modern names made from Old English place names.
Most Anglo-Saxon names were built from two ordinary words, so the meanings here are given as their parts: Eadgifu is ead (prosperity) plus gifu (gift). We checked them against Behind the Name, the Oxford Dictionary of First Names and the Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England.
By Rich · 13 November 2026 · 101 names · 24 with their real rank in England and Wales · every meaning checked against the sources below
Checked The meaning is recorded in the sources below.
Disputed The meaning is disputed or popular but unproven.
“known + bright”English, from Old EnglishChecked[4]
“will, desire + peace”English, from Old EnglishChecked[4]
Saint Wilfrid; revived in the 1800s
#113 in 2025↑ from #358 in 2010
“edge + bright”English, from Old EnglishChecked[4]
“prosperity + ruler”English, from Old EnglishChecked[4]
#2,664 in 2025↑ from #4,678 in 2010
“bold + helmet”English, from Old EnglishChecked[4]
“battle + stone”English, from Old EnglishChecked[4]
the first name of the poet W. H. Auden
“god + protection”English, from Old EnglishChecked[4]
#5,137 in 2025new
“from Ælfwine, Æthelwine or Ealdwine”English, from Old EnglishChecked[4]
which of the three is behind a given family is usually unknown
#934 in 2025↓ from #706 in 2010
“from the surname, from Æthelmær”English, from Old EnglishChecked[4]
“from a place name meaning "stone clearing"”English, from Old EnglishChecked[4]
Old English stan + leah
#97 in 2025
“from place names meaning "broad clearing"”English, from Old EnglishChecked[4]
Old English brad + leah
#352 in 2025↓ from #100 in 2010
“from Ceadda, meaning unknown”English, from Old EnglishDisputed[4]
#4,275 in 2025↓ from #1,082 in 2010
No names match. Try a different letter or origin.
Why the meanings are given as parts
An Anglo-Saxon name was usually two elements joined together, chosen partly from the family's stock of names. Æthelwulf of Wessex named his sons Æthelstan, Æthelbald, Æthelberht, Æthelred and Ælfred. The result did not have to make sense as a phrase, so reading Wulfstan as "wolf-stone" tells you what the parts mean, not what the parents meant. That is why this page writes most meanings as "wolf + stone" rather than turning them into a sentence.
The second element also usually showed whether a name was a woman's or a man's. Names ending in -gifu, -gyth, -thryth, -burh, -flæd and -wynn are women's; names ending in -stan, -weard, -ric and -wine are men's.
Spellings: æ, th and burh
Old English had letters modern English dropped. Æ was a vowel like the a in cat, and the sound th was written with þ or ð, which we give as th. You will see the same name spelled several ways: Æthelthryth, Æðelþryð and Ethelthryth are one name. Some women's names end in -burh or -burg, which are two spellings of the same word for a fortress.
If you use one of these names for a child, the simplest route is a modern descendant (Audrey, Edith, Alfred) or a plain spelling such as Ethelfled or Wulfric. For a historical story, keeping the æ looks right on the page.
Which names survived
After the Norman Conquest most English families moved to names like William, Robert and Alice within a few generations. The Old English names that lasted mostly had a saint or a royal behind them: Edward the Confessor, Edmund the martyr, Audrey of Ely. Many others survived only as surnames, such as Goodwin from Godwine and Lewin from Leofwine.
The Victorians brought a batch back, including Alfred, Edgar, Edwin, Edith, Hilda and Mildred, and invented Ethel as a short form of Æthel- names. Modern names like Ashley, Shirley, Stanley and Bradley are Old English too, but at one remove: they began as place names, became surnames and only then became first names.
Victorian Names: Ada, Florence, Edith, Albert, Arthur, Percy: 105 names that were really common in Victorian England, all in the official 1904 top 100, with meanings.
Old Norse Names: Recorded Viking Age names like Astrid, Sigrid, Bjorn, Leif and Thorfinn, with the Old Norse spelling and what each part of the name meant.
Welsh Baby Names: Over 100 Welsh girl and boy names in real use, from Cerys and Seren to Dylan and Rhys, each with a simple pronunciation guide and a checked meaning.
Names That Mean 'Strength': Over 70 real names that mean 'strength', 'strong' or 'mighty', from Matilda, Audrey and Valerie to Ethan, Gabriel and Fergus, each meaning sourced.
Old English (Anglo-Saxon) Names (Naming Library): How Anglo-Saxon names like Æthelstan and Edith were built from two Old English words, what the parts meant, and which names survived 1066.
Medieval English Names (Naming Library): How the Norman Conquest changed English first names, why so few names covered so many people, and how pet forms like Hob and Wilkin became surnames.
English Place-Name Endings and What They Mean (Naming Library): What -ton, -ham, -by, -thorpe, -ford, -wick and -chester mean, where they came from, and real examples from the place-name dictionaries.
Name Prefixes and Suffixes: The Real Building Blocks (Naming Library): What -by, -thorpe, -ton, -ham, -wick, -ford and -ley mean in English place-names, and the Old English and Old Norse elements in personal names.
Old Norse Names: How Viking-Age Names Worked (Naming Library): How Old Norse names were built: two-part names like Þorsteinn, patronymics, and bynames like Fairhair and Bloodaxe, plus what survives in England.
Frequently Asked Questions
+What are some Anglo-Saxon names?
Recorded examples include Æthelstan, Ælfred, Eadweard, Leofric, Wulfstan and Godwine for men, and Æthelflæd, Eadgifu, Eadgyth, Hild and Wulfrun for women. Each was used by people who lived in England before 1066.
+Are any Anglo-Saxon names still used today?
Yes. Edward, Edmund, Alfred, Edwin, Edgar, Oswald and Harold for boys, and Audrey, Edith and Hilda for girls, all come from Old English names. Alfred, Edward, Edith and Audrey are in regular use again in England and Wales.
+What do Old English names mean?
Most are two words joined: Alfred is elf + counsel, Edith is prosperity + war, Mildred is gentle + strength. The parts were chosen by family custom and naming rules, so the meaning is a list of parts rather than a description of the person.
Sources
Patrick Hanks, Kate Hardcastle and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of First Names (2nd edition), Oxford University Press (2006).