Alfred (name)
Alfred is a masculine given name of English origin, a modern descendant of the Anglo-Saxon name Ælfræd (Old English pronunciation: [ˈæɫvræːd]), formed from the Germanic words ælf, meaning "elf", and ræd, meaning "counsel". Its feminine form originating from Romance languages is Alfreda, and diminutives of Alfred include Al, Alf, Alfy, Alfie, Fred, and Freddy. After the 11th-century Norman Conquest, many variants of the name emerged, most of which were not carried to the modern day. Today, Alfred is still in regular usage in a number of different regions, especially Great Britain, Africa, Scandinavia, and North America. It is one of the few Old English names that came into common use in Europe. Its name day is the 3rd of January both in Norway and Sweden.
Statue in Wantage, England, of Alfred the Great, king of England from 871 to 899. | |
| Gender | Masculine |
|---|---|
| Name day | January 3 (Sweden, Norway) |
| Origin | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Word/name | Germanic |
| Meaning | From the Anglo-Saxon name Ælfræd, formed from the Germanic words ælf, meaning "elf", and ræd, meaning "counsel" |
| Other names | |
| Nickname(s) | Al, Alf, Alfy, Alfie, Fred, Freddy |
| Cognate(s) | Ælfræd (Anglo-Saxon) Alfreð (Icelandic) Alfréd (Hungarian, Slovakian) Alfred (Catalan) Alfredo (Italian, Portuguese, Spanish) Alfrēds (Latvian) Alfredas (Lithuanian) Alfredi (Albanian) Fredo (diminutive of Alfredo) |