Name of the Week

 

A solid old-timer that still retains some grandad-charm, 
but with popular nicknames Alfie and Freddie to add mainstream appeal.

 

Origin:

From the Old English name Ælfræd, composed of the elements ælf "elf" and ræd "advice, counsel". The relevance of the name's meaning can be somewhat understood by delving into the Anglo-Saxon belief system. Elves were considered to be highly powerful, otherworldly magical beings who were sometimes the cause of mysterious and unexplained ailments, but also of prophesies and foresight. The prevalence of these beliefs, and their significance, can be seen in the many "Elf" compound names used in Old English, and, indeed, across Northern Europe. Elves' considerable magic was believed to have influence over the realm of mortal man so perhaps it is understandable that noble Anglo-Saxons wanted to associate such power in their children's names. Such reverence can be seen in the use of Old English word ælf-scīene "beautiful" or "elf-bright" in Anglo-Saxon vocabulary. (See Advent Day 23 for more information on the subject). The second element, ræd, is also defined in the Concise Anglo-Saxon Dictionary* as 'wisdom, intelligence, reason, power and might'. It is found in other Anglo-Saxon names such as Æthelræd (æðel = "noble" + ræd). In this way, Alfred can perhaps be better understood as meaning "having the wisdom of an elf" or "elf-like reason".

Usage:

Alfred, or occasionally Alfrid, is a name that can be found quite frequently in Anglo-Saxon England, recorded on several bishops, ministers and land owners. Some of this early popular usage can possibly be attributed to Alfred the Great, King of Wessex from 871 to 899, which we can similarly see with the names of other Saxon kings such as Æthelstan, Æthelwald and Æthelred. Alfred is one of the few Old English names that continued to be used after the Norman Conquest, at least up until the 14th century. The Domesday Book lists several Alfreds as the previous "1066" (or "Saxon") landowners, as well as many Alfreds who were the new "1086" owners. Several sources attribute this continued use of the name to King Alfred's great popularity -- but this only looks at a small part of the story. For one thing, many of the "new" landowners were conquering Normans, who would have had little patriotic connection to a Saxon king who had ruled nearly two centuries before. Ironically, it actually appears that the name's continued use, post-Conquest, is more thanks to the Normans than the indigenous Saxon population.  The name had, in fact, spread from England to France in previous centuries and was particularly used in Brittany. The Latin form Aluredus, or Alvredus, became Alveré (Alveray) and Auveré (Auveray) in vernacular Norman-French, and these versions came to supersede England's native form. The usage of these Norman forms in Britain can be attested in the surviving surnames: Alured, Alfrey, Avery, Averay, Avory, Elvery and Elverson, which have been used since the 13th century.  For the most part, the name (in all its forms) fell out of use after the 14th century, with the exception of Alvery, which was used up to the 19th century by gentry families in Northern England, particularly Yorkshire. Alfred itself was revived in the 18th century and by the Victorian era it was a firm favourite. The 1851 UK census lists 83,637 Alfreds, which had increased to a whopping 364,405 in the 1901 census.  In 1904 the name was the #11 most popular boys name in England and Wales. It was still #27 in 1924, but by 1934 it had fallen to #49, and finally fell to #93 in 1944. It has not been in the Top 100 since.  The name was a low ranker in 1996 at #216 (142 births) but began to steadily climb. It saw a peak in 2003 when it ranked #125, which coincides with the arrival of character Alfred "Alfie" Moon on Eastenders. In 2010 the name ranked #154, with 384 births, in England and Wales. 8 boys were given the name in Scotland in 2011.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Alfred the Great (849–899) was a King of Wessex who did much to defend his lands against Viking invasion, eventually securing a peace, and translated several texts from Latin into Old English. By the end of his reign coins referred to him as "king of the English" and he is the only English monarch to have been given the title "the Great". * Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (1809–1892) was a highly renowned poet. He was made a baron in 1884 by Queen Victoria -- the first person to be elevated to the Peerage for great contribution to literature. His time as Poet Laureate (1850 - 1892) still stands as the longest tenure recorded. He was godfather to Charles Dickens' son Alfred D'Orsay Tennyson, who was named after both godfathers: Alfred Tennyson and Alfred D'Orsay.  * Alfred Nobel (1833–1896) was a Swedish chemist and engineer who founded the Nobel Prize awards.  * Sir Alfred Hitchcock, KBE (1899–1980) was an innovative British film director and producer. * Alfred Newman (1901–1970) was an American film composer, having composed music for over 200 films. He won nine Oscars -- more than any other composer in history. * Alfred Cellier (1844–1891) was a British composer and conductor, most famous for his comic opera Dorothy (1886). * Alfred Grandidier (1836–1921) was a French naturalist and explorer. Royalty: * Alfred Atheling (d.1016) was a son of King Æthelred II and Emma of Normandy. * Alfred Ernest Albert "Affie", Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1844–1900) was the fourth child of Queen Victoria.   * Alfred Alexander William Ernest Albert, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1874–1899) was a grandson of Victoria, and son of Prince Alfred (above).  * Prince Alfred of Great Britain (1780–1782) was the fourteenth child of King George III Literature and Media: * Alfred Pennyworth is a DC Comics character: the butler of Bruce Wayne aka Batman.

Variants:

Alfredo (Italian, Portuguese, Spanish), Alfredus, Alfridus, Aluredus, Alvredus (Latinised)

Pronunciation:

AL-fred (UK) al-FRED (France) [key]

Possible Diminutives:

Affie, Al, Alf, Alfie, Ed, Eddie, Fred, Freddie, Ralf, Red

Sibling Names:

Martha     Elsie     Edith     Lilian     Alice     Ruth Albert     Ralph     Stanley     Ernest     Philip     Geoffrey

Name Lists:

Victorian Darlings   Dickensian Names   Royal Names

 

If you like Alfred you may also like:   Wilfred, Leonard, Barnaby, Stephen, Victor, Angus, Julian, Gilbert, Hector, Sidney