Anglish Given Names
The following are English names which spring from Anglo-Saxon, or Old English. They have not been greatly shaped or otherwise lost thanks to the Danish onslaughts and French overthrow of England.
While there are many living names, many more names have been quickened from their dead matches. This has been done by their likenesses to words and names that outlived them, such as, Wilhelm/Willelm, from Old English Wilhelm, which was upset by the Norman name William/Guillaume. In a few falls, such as Biblical names, an outlandish name has been borrowed straight from its beginning, to sidestep the French-swayed shapes of that name.
Germanic Names
The Names
The names are shown in their mainstream English spellings, and in Anglish Spellings only when the two are not alike. The Anglish spellings are only that -- spellings. They do not shift how the names are said. Read more on the Anglish Spelling leaf on the Anglish wiki.
See the Make Your Own Name deal on this leaf for the meanings of the naming words.
Living: A name that is found within the time of New English, whether having been in unbroken use (such as 'Edward'), or having been quickened by others in a New English shape, as many were, in the 18th and 19th centuries. (Such as 'Ethel'.)
Lastname: A name that is found as a living name but which has not been in unbroken use as a given name since Old English times. It might be from an Old English name that only lived on as a lastname (such as 'Alfrich'), or from a word or name that was not a given name in Old English (such as 'Stanley').
Quickened: A name that is found as an Old English name but which does not have a known shape in New English. Brought back to life (quickened) and shaped by the writers of this leaf (mostly Wordwork) by its likeness to living, New English names and words. (Such as 'Wolfrich', from OE 'Wulfriċ', by likeness to the New English words 'wolf', 'rich', and known, living names, such as 'Wolfroun' and 'Aldrich'.)
Frozen: A name that, by way of a 'learned borrowing', often by a well-known writer, has a spelling that's frozen in time from Old English, while being used in New English. (Such as: 'Beowulf', which may otherwise have come to us as 'Beewolf' if it were still borne in unbroken use.)
Unfounded: A name that has cognates in other Germanic tongues but which is not found in Old English.
English | Anglish | Kind | Whence | Forebear | Foreword | Afterword | Background |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Acbald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ācbeald | āc | beald | |
Acfrith | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ācfriþ | āc | friþ | Lives on as the name of a Woodland in Wiltshire. |
Ackerley | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | acer | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From from the OE stow-name ‘Acerlēah’ meaning: acre-lea (ploughed-field). |
Ackoun | Ackune | ♂ | Quickened | Āchūn | āc | hūn | |
Acstan | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ācstān | āc | stān | |
Acton | Actun | ♂ | Lastname | - | āc | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Āctūn’, meaning: oak-town. |
Acwolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ācmǣr | āc | mǣr | |
Acwolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ācwulf | āc | wulf | |
Addis | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ādhyse | ād | hyse | Not tied to the Hebrew name ‘Addis’, which is instead a shape of ‘Adam’. |
Ailith | - | ♀ | Living | Æþelgȳþ | æþel | gȳþ | |
Aimbald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ǣġenbeald | ǣġen | beald | |
Ainard | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ǣġenheard | ǣġen | heard | |
Aingar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ǣġengār | ǣġen | gār | |
Ainild | - | ♀ | Living | Ǣġenhild | ǣġen | hild | |
Ainmer | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ǣġenmǣr | ǣġen | mǣr | |
Ainnar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ǣġenhere | ǣġen | here | |
Ainrich | Ainric | ♂ | Unfounded | *Ǣġenrīċe | ǣġen | rīċe | Not found in OE. A name which would be kin with ‘Eric’, which comes from Old Norse. |
Ainsley | - | ⚥ | Lastname | - | ǣġen, ān | setl + lēah | Also spelled: Ansley. Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Ānsetllēah’. |
Ainsworth | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | ǣġen | worþ | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Ǣġenworþ’, meaning: own/lonely-stead. |
Ainwolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ǣġenwulf | ǣġen | wulf | |
Aldhelm | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ealddhelm | eald | helm | Borne by the the hallow, and in the 1818 tale written of him by Ripley. |
Aldrich | Aldric | ♂ | Lastname | Ealdrīċe | eald | rīċe | |
Aldrin | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | alor | - | Not a given name in OE. Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Aloren’, meaning: alder-tree. Borne by the American astronaut and second man to ever walk on the moon, Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin (born 1930). |
Aldwin | - | ♂ | Lastname | Ealdwine | eald | wine | Also found as the lastname, ‘Alden’. |
Alf | - | ♂ | Living | Alf | ælf | - | A shortening of ‘Alfred’. |
Alfbert | - | ♂ | Quickened | Alfbeorht | ælf | beorht | |
Alfchettle | Alfcetel | ♂ | Quickened | Alfċetel | ælf | ċetel | |
Alfgood | - | ♀ | Quickened | Ælfgōd | ælf | gōd | |
Alfie | Alfy | ♂ | Living | Alfa | ælf | - | A shortening of ‘Alfred’. |
Alfled | - | ♀ | Living | Ælfflǣd | ælf | flǣd | |
Alfmer | - | Quickened | Ælfmǣr | ælf | mǣr | ||
Alfnoth | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ælfnōþ | ælf | nōþ | |
Alfred | - | ♂ | Living | Ælfrǣd | ælf | rǣd | Spread by ‘Alfred the Great’ (849—889), king of Wessex, who freed the English from the Danish onslaught of England. |
Alfrich | Alfric | ♂ | Lastname | Ælfrīċ | ælf | rīċe | Aldridge is another offshoot, which has been blended with Ethelrich (from OE Æþelrīċ) and Aldrich (from OE Ealdlrīċ). Borne by many holymen, such as the great writer and holyman of Eynsham (955—1010), and also by the Hallow of Abingdon (d. 1005). Kin with the Norman names: Aubrey, Avery. |
Alfrith | Alfrith | ♂ | Quickened | Ælfrīþ | ælf | friþ | |
Alfswith | - | ⚥ | Living | Ælfswīþ | ælf | swīþ | |
Alger | - | ♂ | Living | Ælfgār | ælf | gār | Like many names that died out with the Norman overthrow, this Old English name was brought back in the 1800s. |
Alkar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ealhhere | ealh | here | |
Alkard | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ealhheard | ealh | heard | |
Alkbert | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ealhbeorht | ealh | beorht | |
Alkbury | - | ♀ | Quickened | Ealhburg | ealh | burg | |
Alkelm | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ealhhelm | ealh | helm | |
Alkmund | - | ♂ | Living | Ealhmund | ealh | mūnd | Borne by a 700s Hallow of Derby and Northumbria, and a 700s Hallow of Hexham, Northumberland. |
Alkoun | Alkune | ♂ | Quickened | Ealhhūn | ealh | hūn | |
Alkred | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ealhrǣd | ealh | rǣd | |
Alkrich | Alkric | ♂ | Quickened | Ealhrīċ | ealh | rīċe | |
Alkswith | - | ♀ | Quickened | Ealhswīþ | ealh | swīþ | |
Alkward | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ealhweard | ealh | weard | |
Alkwer | - | ♀ | Quickened | Ealhwaru | ealh | waru | |
Alkwin | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ealhwine | ealh | wine | Borne by the great writer, teacher and Hallow of York (735—804), after whom Alcuin College was named. The Latin spelling is ‘Alcuin’, or ‘Alcuinus’. See also: Alwin. |
Alleaf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ælflēof | ælf | lēof | |
Alrich | Alric | ♂ | Quickened | Ælriċ | æl | rīce | Kin with the Norman name ‘Alaric’. |
Alsey | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ælfsiġe | ælf | siġe | |
Alston | Alstan | ♂ | Lastname | Ælfstān , Æþelstān , Ealdstān , Ealstān | ælf , æþel , eald , ealh | stān | Living name from the English Lastname ‘Alston,’ which could come from sundry OE forenames, such as ‘Ælfstān’ (elf-stone), ‘Æþelstān’ (atheling-stone), ‘Ealdstān’ (old-stone) or ‘Ealstān’ (holy-stone). |
Althrith | - | ♀ | Quickened | Ælfþrȳþ, Ealhþrȳþ | ælf, ealh | þrȳþ | Two names that would have blended together over time, owed to their likeness when spoken. Can also be spelled: Elthrith. |
Alton | Altun | ♂ | Lastname | Ealdtūn | eald | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Ealdtūn’, meaning: old-town. |
Alvald | Alfald | ♂ | Quickened | Ælfweald | ælf | weald | Borne by a 700s King of East Anglia, 700s King of Sussex, and by 700s and 800s kings of Northumbria. |
Alvar | Alfar | ♂ | Living | Ælfhere | ælf | here | |
Alvard | Alfard | ♂ | Quickened | Ælfġeard , Ælfheard , Ælfweard | ælf | ġeard , heard , weard | A blend of a few Old English names that would likely have blended into one another over time. |
Alvat | Alfat | ♂ | Quickened | Ælfġēat | ælf | ġēat | |
Alvelm | Alfelm | ♂ | Quickened | Ælfhelm | ælf | helm | |
Alver | Alfer | ♀ | Quickened | Ælfwaru | ælf | waru | Also found as ‘Alvara’ in the English lastname. |
Alvey | Alfey | ♂ | Quickened | Ælfhēah | ælf | hēah | |
Alvild | Alfild | ♀ | Quickened | Ælfhild | ælf | hild | |
Alvin | Alfin | ⚥ | Living | Ælfwine , Ælfwynn | ælf | wine, wynn | Borne by a widely-known cartoon chipmunk in America in the 1960s. While not known as a woman’s name today, it could be once more. The wifely shade died out and became ‘Alvina’ in English, with the Latinate -a ending. |
Alving | Alfing | ⚥ | Quickened | Ælfing | ælf | ing | |
Alvith | Alvith | ♀ | Quickened | Ælfgȳþ | ælf | gȳþ | |
Alvive | Alfife | ♀ | Quickened | Ælfġifu | ælf | ġifu | Shortened in some Lastnames as ‘Alvey’. |
Alvolf | Alfolf | ♂ | Quickened | Ælfwulf | ælf | wulf | |
Alvoun | Alfune | ♂ | Quickened | Ælfhūn | ælf | hūn | |
Alvy | Alfy | ♂ | Quickened | Ælfwīġ | ælf | wīġ | |
Alwin | - | ♂ | Lastname | Ealhwine | ealh | wine | Alwin has been shaped by a blending together of likewise names, such as ‘Alden’ (from OE Ealdwine), ‘Alvin’ (from OE Ælfwine), and ‘Athelwin’ (from OE Æþelwine). Borne by the great writer, teacher and Hallow of York (735—804), after whom Alcuin College was named. See also: Alkwin. |
Ambald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Andbeald | and | beald | |
Ambert | - | ♂ | Quickened | Andbeorht | and | beorht | |
Ancoal | - | ♂ | Quickened | Andcōl | and | cōl | |
Anfrith | - | ♂ | Quickened | Andfriþ | and | friþ | |
Anlof | - | ♂ | Quickened | Anlāf | an | lāf | Kin with the Norse name, ‘Olaf’. Made of withering words: ‘an’ and ’lof’, meaning: ‘forebear-afterbear’. |
Anmer | - | ♂ | Quickened | Andemar | and | mǣr | |
Annar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Andhere | and | here | |
Announ | Annune | ♂ | Quickened | Andhūn | and | hūn | |
Anshoe | Anscoe | ♂ | Quickened | Andṡċoh | and | ṡċoh | |
Anwolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Andwulf | and | wulf | |
Ardwolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Eardwulf | eorþe | wulf | Borne by a 700s King of Northumbria. |
Armstrong | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | earm | strang | Not a given name in OE. From a lastname that began as a nickname for a man with a strong arm. Borne by the American astronaut and first man to walk on the moon, Neil Armstrong (1930-2012). |
Ash | Asc | ⚥ | Living | Æṡċ | æṡċ | - | Either as a standalone name from the everyday English words for the tree, or for the outcome of fire, or as a shortening of names like Ashley and Ashton, which are named for the ash-tree. |
Ashar | Ascar | ♂ | Quickened | Æṡċhere | æṡċ | here | Not tied with the Hebrew name Asher. Only tied to the lastname Asher by sharing the alike foreword, 'ash', as in, someone who works with ashes. |
Ashard | Ascard | ♂ | Quickened | Æṡċheard | æṡċ | heard | |
Ashbert | Ascbert | ♂ | Quickened | Æṡċbeorht | æṡċ | beorht | |
Ashbury | Ascbury | ⚥ | Lastname | - | æṡċ | burg | Not a given name in OE. Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Æṡċburg’. |
Ashden | Ascden | ⚥ | Lastname | - | æṡċ | denu, dūn, tūn | Not a given name in OE. Could be from any of the following OE stow-names: ‘Æṡċdenu’ (meaning: ash-tree dene) ‘Æṡċdūn’ (meaning: ash-tree downs), or ‘Æṡċtūn’ (meaning: ash-tree town). |
Ashey | Ascey | ♂ | Quickened | Æṡċhēah | æṡċ | hēah | |
Ashford | Ascford | ♂ | Lastname | - | æṡċ | ford | Not a given name in OE. Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Æṡċford’. |
Ashfrith | Ascfrith | ♂ | Quickened | Æṡċfriþ | æṡċ | friþ | |
Ashley | Ascley | ⚥ | Lastname | - | æṡċ | lēah | Not a given name in OE. Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Æṡċlēah’. Like many Lastnames, it was once borne mostly for weremen, but it has shifted towards a woman’s name. |
Ashlock | Asclock | ♂ | Quickened | Æṡċlāc | æṡċ | lāc | |
Ashman | Ascman | ♂ | Quickened | Æṡċmann | æṡċ | mann | |
Ashmer | Ascmer | ♂ | Quickened | Æṡċmǣr | æṡċ | mǣr | |
Ashmund | Ascmund | ♂ | Quickened | Æṡċmūnd | æṡċ | mūnd | |
Ashred | Ascred | ♂ | Quickened | Æṡċrǣd | æṡċ | rǣd | |
Ashton | Asctun | ♂ | Lastname | - | æṡċ | tūn | Not a given name in OE. Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Æṡċtūn’, meaning: ash-tree-town. |
Ashwald | Ascwald | ♂ | Quickened | Æṡċweald | æṡċ | weald | |
Ashwin | Ascwin | ⚥ | Lastname | Æṡċwine ♂ , Æṡċwynn ♀ | æṡċ | wine , wynn | Not tied to the Hindi name Ashwin, which is instead from Sanskrit Aśvin. |
Ashwolf | Ascwolf | ♂ | Quickened | Æṡċwulf | æṡċ | wulf | |
Ashwood | Ascwood | ♂ | Lastname | - | æṡċ | wudu | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Æṡċwudu’. |
Ashwy | Ascwy | ♂ | Quickened | Æṡċwīġ | æṡċ | wīġ | |
Aspen | - | ♂ | Living | - | - | - | Not a given name in OE. From the name of the wort, or from the name of the ski town in Colorado. |
Aston | Astun | ♂ | Lastname | - | ēast | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Ēasttūn’, meaning: east-town. |
Athelstan | - | ♂ | Frozen | Æþelstān | æþel | stān | Can also be spelled: Ethelstan. Borne by the King of the Anglo-Saxons (924-927) and the King of the English (927-939). The name died out following the Norman overthrow. Brought back following Sir Walter Scott's (1771-1832) book, Ivanhoe. |
Atley | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | æt | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Ætlēah’. |
Atwater | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | æt | wæter | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Ætwæter’. |
Atwell | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | æt | wille | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Ætwille’. |
Atwood | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | æt | wudu | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Ætwudu’. |
Atworth | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | æt | worþ | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Ætworþ’. |
Awald | - | ♂ | Unfounded | *Āwaweald | āwa | weald | Not found in OE. A name which would be kin with ‘Ewald’, which comes from the mainland name ‘Ewawald’. |
Badhild | - | ♀ | Living | Beaduhild | beadu | hild | Kin with the German name ‘Bathilda’. |
Bagmund | - | ♂ | Quickened | Bēagmūnd | bēag | mūnd | |
Bagnoth | - | ♂ | Quickened | Bēagnōþ | bēag | nōþ | |
Bagstan | - | ♂ | Quickened | Bēagstān | bēag | stān | |
Balday | - | ♂ | Quickened | Bealddæġ | beald | dæġ | Also the name of an English god, known in Old Norse as ‘Baldr’, meaning ‘the bald one’. |
Baldhelm | - | ♂ | Quickened | Bealdhelm | beald | helm | |
Baldhild | - | ♀ | Living | Bealdhild | beald | hild | |
Baldhoun | Baldhune | ♂ | Quickened | Bealdhūn | beald | hūn | |
Baldive | Baldife | ♀ | Quickened | Bealdġifu | beald | ġifu | Shortened in some Lastnames as ‘Baldey’. |
Baldred | - | ♂ | Quickened | Bealdrǣd | beald | rǣd | Borne by an 800s King of Kent. |
Baldrich | Baldric | ♂ | Quickened | Bealdrīċ | beald | rīċe | Kin with the Norman name 'Baldric', spelt alike in Anglish Spelling. The Old English name looks to have died out. |
Baldwin | - | ♂ | Living | Bealdwine | beald | wine | The Old English name may have died out, but it would have ended up alike as the name 'Baldwin', which was brought by the Normans. |
Bancroft | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | bēan | croft | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Bēancroft’. Borne by American historian and ethnologist Hubert Howe Bancroft (1832-1918). |
Barden | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | bær | denu | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Bærdenu’. |
Barrington | Barringtun | ♂ | Lastname | - | beorn | ing + tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Beorningastūn’, meaning: the town of the folk of Beorna. |
Barton | Bartun | ♂ | Lastname | - | bær | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Bærtūn’. |
Baxter | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | - | - | Meaning ‘baker’. From a a lastname that began as a feminine shape of the word ‘baker’. (As in, a spinster is a female spinner.) |
Beck | - | ♂ | Lastname | Bæċa | bæċ | - | Either from the English Lastname Beck, or as a shortening of English Lastnames such as Beckham, from ON bekkr (beck, brook), kin with OE bæċ (beach). |
Beddard | - | ♂ | Quickened | Beaduheard | beadu | heard | |
Bede | - | ♂ | Living | Bēda | bēd | - | Living name from OE bēd: To ask, bid, beseech, or a worshipping bead. Spread by the holyman and writer Bede (672–735). |
Bedfrith | - | ♂ | Quickened | Beadufriþ | beadu | friþ | |
Bednoth | - | ♂ | Quickened | Beadunōþ | beadu | nōþ | |
Bedthane | - | ♂ | Quickened | Beaduþeġn | beadu | þeġn | |
Bedwald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Beaduweald | beadu | weald | |
Bedwolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Beaduwulf | beadu | wulf | |
Bedwy | - | ♂ | Quickened | Beaduwīġ | beadu | wīġ | |
Beewolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Bēowulf | bēo | wulf | Brought into New English from Old English by J. R. R. Tolkien in his wending of Beowulf, ‘Sellic Spell’, as the name Beewolf. See also: Beowulf. |
Bentley | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | bent | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Bentlēah’. Spread by English wain-maker Bentley Motors, started in 1919. |
Benton | Bentun | ♂ | Lastname | - | bent | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Benttūn’. |
Beowulf | - | ♂ | Frozen | Bēowulf | bēo | wulf | Frozen spelling borrowed straight from the Old English folk tale of alike name. See also: Beewolf. |
Beresford | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | beofor | ford | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Beoforsford’. |
Berkeley | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | birċe | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Berclēah’. Spread by the Berkeley kindred of Gloucestershire, and later by the San Fransisco bough of the University of California. Kin with Barclay, a name brought by the Normans. |
Bern | - | ♂ | Quickened | Beorn | beorn | - | May be kin with the Norse name ‘Björn’. The words for ‘bear’ and ‘man’ blended together in Old English names, since the OE word beorn (meaning: man) took the same shape as the Frankish word beorn (meaning: bear). |
Bernard | - | ♂ | Living | Beornheard | beorn | heard | A blend of the Old English name Beornhard and Norman name Bernard. The word beorn, as found in OE bindnames, may have a meaning of a man/child, and may not come from alike spring as ‘beorn’, as found in Mainland Europe, meaning ‘bear’. |
Berndred | - | ♀ | Living | Beornþrȳþ | beorn | þrȳþ | Can also be spelled: Bernthrith. |
Bernfled | - | ♀ | Quickened | Beornflǣd | beorn | flǣd | |
Bernfrith | - | ♂ | Quickened | Beornfriþ | beorn | friþ | |
Berngar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Beorngār | beorn | gār | |
Bernheath | - | ♂ | Quickened | Beornhǣþ | beorn | hǣþ | |
Bernhelm | - | ♂ | Quickened | Beornhelm | beorn | helm | |
Bernhey | - | ♂ | Quickened | Beornhēah | beorn | hēah | |
Bernich | Bernic | ♂ | Quickened | Beorniċ | beorn | iċ | |
Bernith | - | ♀ | Quickened | Beorngȳþ | beorn | gȳþ | |
Bernlof | - | ♂ | Quickened | Beornlāf | beorn | lāf | |
Bernmood | - | ♂ | Quickened | Beornmōd | beorn | mōd | |
Bernmund | - | ♂ | Quickened | Beornmūnd | beorn | mūnd | |
Bernred | - | ♂ | Quickened | Beornrǣd | beorn | rǣd | Borne by a 700s King of Mercia. |
Bernrich | Bernric | ♂ | Quickened | Beornrīċ | beorn | rīċe | |
Bernsey | - | ♂ | Quickened | Beornsiġe | beorn | siġe | |
Bernstan | - | ♂ | Quickened | Beornstān | beorn | stān | |
Bernwald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Beornweald | beorn | weald | |
Bernwin | - | ⚥ | Quickened | Beornwine ♂ , Beornwynn ♀ | beorn | wine , wynn | |
Bernwolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Beornwulf | beorn | wulf | Borne by an 800s King of Mercia. |
Bernwy | - | ♂ | Quickened | Beornwīġ | beorn | wīġ | |
Bert | - | ♂ | Living | Beorhta | beorht | - | The latter-day bearing of ‘Bert’ is often as a shortening of the Norman name ‘Albert’ (kin with the native name Ethelbert). |
Bertar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Beorhthere | beorht | here | |
Bertelm | - | ♂ | Quickened | Beorhthelm | beorht | helm | |
Bertey | - | ♂ | Quickened | Beorhthēah | beorht | ġifu, hēah | |
Bertferth | - | ♂ | Quickened | Beorhtferhþ | beorht | ferhþ | |
Bertfrith | - | ♂ | Quickened | Beorhtfriþ | beorht | friþ | |
Berthank | - | ♂ | Quickened | Beorhtþanc | beorht | þanc | |
Bertive | Bertife | ♀ | Quickened | Beorhtġifu | beorht | ġifu | Also found shortened as the lastname ‘Bertey’. |
Bertlof | - | ♂ | Quickened | Beorhtlāf | beorht | lāf | |
Bertmer | - | ♂ | Quickened | Beorhtmǣr | beorht | mǣr | |
Bertmund | - | ♂ | Quickened | Beorhtmūnd | beorht | mūnd | |
Bertnoth | - | ♂ | Quickened | Beorhtnoþ | beorht | nōþ | |
Berton | Bertun | ♂ | Quickened | Beorhttūn | beorht | tūn | |
Bertoun | Bertune | ♂ | Quickened | Beorhthūn | beorht | hūn | |
Bertrand | - | ♂ | Unfounded | *Beorhtrand | beorht | rand | Not found in OE. A name which would be kin with ‘Bertrand’, which came to England with the Normans. |
Bertred | - | ♂ | Quickened | Beorhtrǣd | beorht | rǣd | |
Bertren | - | ♂ | Unfounded | *Beorhtræfn | beorht | hræfn | Not found in OE. A name which would be kin with ‘Bertram’, which came to England with the Normans. |
Bertrich | Bertric | ♂ | Quickened | Beorhtrīċ | beorht | rīċ | Borne by a 700s King of Wessex. |
Bertsey | - | ♂ | Quickened | Beorhtsiġe | beorht | siġe | |
Bertstan | - | ♂ | Quickened | Beorhtstān | beorht | stān | |
Bertwald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Beorhtweald | beorht | weald | |
Bertwer | - | ♀ | Quickened | Beorhtwaru | beorht | waru | |
Bertwin | - | ⚥ | Quickened | Beorhtwine ♂ , Beorhtwynn ♀ | beorht | wine , wynn | |
Bertwolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Beorhtwulf | beorht | wulf | Borne by an 800s King of Mercia. |
Bertwy | - | ♂ | Quickened | Beorhtwīġ | beorht | wīġ | |
Bertyils | - | ♂ | Quickened | Beorhtġils | beorht | ġīsel | |
Beverley | Beferley | ⚥ | Lastname | beofor | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Beoforlēah’. Borne as a man’s name in the 1800s. Made well-known as a woman’s name following the George Barr McCutcheon book, Beverly of Graustark (1904). | |
Billard | - | ♂ | Quickened | Billheard | bill | heard | |
Billfrith | - | ♂ | Quickened | Billfriþ | bill | friþ | |
Billnoth | - | ♂ | Quickened | Billnōþ | bill | nōþ | |
Birchall | - | ♂ | Lastname | berċ | heall | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Berċheall’. | |
Blackburn | - | ♂ | Lastname | blæc | burne | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Blæcburna’. | |
Blackstone | - | ♂ | Lastname | blæc | stān | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Blæcstān’. | |
Blackwell | - | ♂ | Lastname | blæc | wille | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Blæcwille’. | |
Blagden | - | ♂ | Lastname | blæc | denu | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Blæcdenu’. | |
Blake | - | ⚥ | Lastname | Blæc | blæc | - | |
Blakeley | - | ⚥ | Lastname | blæc | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Blæclēah’. | |
Blakeney | - | ⚥ | Lastname | blæc | nēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Blæclnēah’. | |
Blessing | - | ♀ | Living | - | bletsian | - | Not a given name in OE. A puritanical Christian name, from the everyday English word. |
Blithar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Blīþhere | blīþ | here | |
Blithrith | - | ♀ | Quickened | Blīþþrȳþ | blīþ | þrȳþ | |
Blossom | - | ♀ | Living | - | - | - | Began as a given name in the 1800s. |
Blythe | - | ♀ | Living | - | blīþ | - | Not a given name in OE or ME. |
Bond | - | ♂ | Lastname | Bonda | - | - | From the lastname ‘Bond’. Also found as a standalone given name in Old English. Borne by the main player in the books and films of the alike name, by the English writer Iam Fleming (1908-1964). |
Booker | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | - | - | From the lastname ‘Booker’, an work-name for someone who made books. |
Boot | - | ♀ | Quickened | Bōte | bōt | - | |
Borden | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | bār | denu | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Bārdenu’. |
Botwin | - | ♂ | Quickened | Bōtwine | bōt | wine | |
Botwolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Bōtwulf | bōt | wulf | |
Brad | - | ♂ | Lastname | Brāda | brād | - | A shortening of lastnames such as Bradley. |
Bradburn | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | brād | burne | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Brādburna’. |
Bradford | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | brād | ford | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Brādford’. |
Bradley | - | ♂ | Lastname | brād | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Brādlēah’. | |
Brand | - | ♂ | Quickened | Branda | brand | - | |
Brandon | Brandun | ♂ | Lastname | - | brōm | denu, dūn | Not tied to the name ‘Brendon’. Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-names ‘Brōmdenu’ and/or ‘Brōmdūn’, where latter half could be from either OE denu (a den, dale) or dūn (a down, hill). |
Branson | Brandsun | ♂ | Lastname | Brandassunu | brand | sunu | |
Branton | Brantun | ♂ | Lastname | - | brōm | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Brōmtūn’, meaning broom/brushwood town. |
Braxton | Braxtun | ♂ | Lastname | - | - | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Braccastūn’, meaning Bracca’s town. |
Brenton | Brentun | ♂ | Lastname | - | bryne | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Brynestūn’. |
Breyswith | - | ♀ | Quickened | Breġoswīþ | breġu | swīþ | |
Breywald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Breġoweald | breġu | weald | |
Breywin | - | ♂ | Quickened | Breġowine | breġu | wine | |
Breywolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Breġowulf | breġu | wulf | |
Briar | - | ♀ | Living | - | brær | - | Not a given name in OE. First became a name in the 1900s. |
Bridgeley | Bricgley | ♂ | Lastname | - | bryċġ | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Bryċġlēah’, meaning: bridge-lea (field). |
Brigham | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | bryċġ | hām | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Bryċġhām’. Borne by Brigham Young, a leading Morman and starter of Salt Lake City. |
Brighton | Brigtun | ♂ | Lastname | - | bryċġ | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Bryċġtūn’, meaning: bridge-town. |
Brinley | - | ♂ | Lastname | Brynlēah | bryne | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Brynlēah’, meaning: burnt-lea (field). |
Brinnar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Brynhere | bryne | here | |
Brinning | - | ♂ | Quickened | Bryning | bryne | ing | |
Brinwald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Brynweald | bryne | weald | |
Bristol | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | bryċġ | stow | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Bryċġstow’. |
Brock | - | ♂ | Lastname | Brocca | brocc | - | |
Brockley | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | brōc | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Brōclēah’. |
Brockton | Brocktun | ♂ | Lastname | - | brōc | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Brōctūn’. |
Bromley | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | brōm | wille | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Brōmlēah’. |
Bromwell | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | brōm | lēah | Also spelled: Bramwell. Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Brōmwille’. |
Bronson | Bronsun | ♂ | Lastname | Brūnsunu | brūn | sunu | |
Brooke | - | ⚥ | Lastname | - | brōc | - | Not a given name in OE. Not a given name in OE. From an OE stow-name for someone who lived near a brook (a stream). |
Brunard | - | ♂ | Quickened | Brūnheard | brūn | heard | |
Brunstan | - | ♂ | Quickened | Brūnstān | brūn | stān | |
Buck | - | ♂ | Living | Bucca | bucc | - | Mainly found as a name in the USA. Kin with the name "Butch". |
Buckley | - | ♂ | Lastname | Buccalēah | bucc | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Buccalēah’, meaning: Bucca’s lea. |
Burhard | - | ♂ | Quickened | Burgheard | burg | heard | |
Burhelm | - | ♂ | Quickened | Burghelm | burg | helm | |
Burhild | - | ♀ | Quickened | Burghild | burg | hild | |
Burnelm | - | ♂ | Quickened | Byrnhelm | byrne | helm | |
Burnferth | - | ♂ | Quickened | Byrnferþ | byrne | ferhþ | |
Burnfled | - | ♀ | Quickened | Byrneflǣd | byrne | flǣd | |
Burnild | - | ♀ | Quickened | Byrnhild | byrne | hild | Kin with the German name ‘Brünhild’, from Old Norse ‘Brynhildr’ of the Volsung Saga and Brunhilda of the Nibelung Saga; both of whom are likely set upon the life of the 600s Frankish Queen. |
Burnoth | - | ♂ | Quickened | Burgnōþ | burg | nōþ | |
Burred | - | ♂ | Quickened | Burgrǣd | burg | rǣd | Borne by an 800s King of Mercia. |
Burrich | Burric | ♂ | Quickened | Burgrīċ | burg | rīċ | |
Burried | Berreed | ⚥ | Living | - | - | - | Not a given name in OE. A puritanical Christian name, from the everyday English word. |
Bursey | - | ♂ | Quickened | Burgsiġe | burg | siġe | |
Burstan | - | ♂ | Quickened | Burgstān | burg | stān | |
Burton | Burtun | ♂ | Lastname | - | burg | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Burgtūn’. Borne by American filmmaker Tim Burton (1958). |
Burwald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Burgweald | burg | weald | |
Burwin | - | ⚥ | Quickened | Burgwine ♂ , Burgwynn ♀ | burg | wine , wynn | |
Burwolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Burgwulf | burg | wulf | |
Buxton | Buxtun | ♂ | Lastname | - | bēag | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From a lastname for someone who came from the town of alike name in Derbyshire, so named for the stones by the spring that would shift about (bow) when touched. From OE ‘Bēagastūn’. |
Byron | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | - | - | Not a given name in OE. Named after Lord Byron (1784-1824), whose name comes from the Old English saying, ‘æt þǣm bȳrum’ (at the [cow] byres (sheds)). |
Cade | - | ♂ | Lastname | Cada | - | - | From the lastname ‘Cade’, which comes from the Old English name ‘Cada’, meaning: lumpy, or swollen. |
Caldwell | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | cald | wille | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Caldwille’. |
Calvert | Calfert | ♂ | Lastname | - | cealf | hierde | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Cealfhierde’. |
Cedric | - | ♂ | Frozen | Cerdic | - | - | Brought back by Sir Walter Scott for the player in his book Ivanhoe, set after the Old English name ‘Cerdic’, with a metathesis of the ‘r’, a name which was borne by the starter of the Kingdom of Wessex. |
Chad | Cead | ♂ | Living | Ċeadda | ċēad | - | |
Chaddar | Ceaddar | ♂ | Quickened | Ċeadhere | ċēad | here | Not kin with the stow-name (and cheese name) ‘Cheddar’. |
Chadley | Ceadley | ♂ | Lastname | - | ċēad | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Ċeaddaslēah’, meaning: Chad’s lea (field). |
Chadwick | Ceadwick | ♂ | Lastname | - | ċēad | wiċ | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Ċeaddaswic’, meaning: Chad’s wick (homestead). |
Chapman | Ceapman | ♂ | Lastname | Ċēapmann | ċēap | mann | Not a given name in OE. From a lastname that began as an work-name for a chap-man (a dealer). |
Chelbald | Cealbald | ♂ | Quickened | Ċēolbeald | ċēol | beald | |
Chelbury | Cealbury | ♀ | Quickened | Ċēolburg | ċēol | burg | |
Chelfled | Cealfled | ♀ | Quickened | Ċēolflǣd | ċēol | flǣd | |
Chelfrith | Cealfrith | ♂ | Quickened | Ċēolfriþ | ċēol | friþ | |
Chellar | Ceallar | ♂ | Quickened | Ċēolhere | ċēol | here | |
Chellard | Ceallard | ♂ | Quickened | Ċēolheard | ċēol | heard | |
Chellelm | Ceallelm | ♂ | Quickened | Ċēolhelm | ċēol | helm | |
Chelley | Cealley | ♂ | Quickened | Ċēolhēah | ċēol | hēah | |
Chelnoth | Cealnoth | ♂ | Quickened | Ċēolnōþ | ċēol | nōþ | |
Chelred | Cealred | ♂ | Quickened | Ċēolrǣd | ċēol | rǣd | Borne by a 700s King of Mercia. |
Chelrich | Cealric | ♂ | Quickened | Ċēolrīċ | ċēol | rīċe | |
Chelsea | Cealsea | ⚥ | Lastname | - | ċealc, ċeol | sǣ | Also spelled: Chelsey. Not a given name in OE. A blend of the words for chalk (OE ‘Ċealcsǣ’), and keel (OE ‘Ċēolsǣ’), the latter of which also yields Kelsey, with a 'hard k', likely from Norse inflow. |
Chelsey | Cealsey | ♂ | Quickened | Ċēolsiġe | ċēol | siġe | For the living name with the alike spelling, see: Chelsea. |
Chelstan | Cealstan | ♂ | Quickened | Ċeolstān | ċēol | stān | |
Chelswith | Cealswith | ♀ | Quickened | Ċēolswīþ | ċēol | swīþ | |
Chelthrith | Cealthrith | ♀ | Quickened | Ċēolþrȳþ | ċēol | þrȳþ | |
Chelwald | Cealwald | ♂ | Quickened | Ċēolweald | ċēol | weald | |
Chelwin | Cealwin | ⚥ | Quickened | Ċēolwine ♂ , Ċēolwynn ♀ | ċēol | wine , wynn | |
Chelwolf | Cealwolf | ♂ | Quickened | Ċēolwulf | ċēol | wulf | Borne by a 500s King of Wessex, by a 700s King of Northumbria and by an 800s King of Mercia. |
Chelwy | Cealwy | ♂ | Quickened | Ċēolwīġ | ċēol | wīg | |
Cherl | Cerl | ♂ | Quickened | Ċeorl | ċeorl | - | Borne by a King of Mercia in the 600s. The name Ċeorl was seldom borne in Old English times, and seems to have died out as an English name. Most likely all living names with Charl- / Charles are from the later French borrowings. Kin with Carl, Carla, Carly, Charlie, Carole, Caroline, Karl. |
Chester | Cester | ♂ | Lastname | - | - | - | Not a given name in OE. From a lastname that began as a town name found all over Great Britain and made its way into Old English from the Latin word for an army camp, ‘Castra’, which became OE ‘Ċeaster’. |
Chillie | Cilly | ♀ | Quickened | Ċille | ċille | - | |
Churchbur | Circbor | ♂ | Unfounded | - | ċirce | būr | Not found in OE. A name which would be kin with the name ‘Kirby’, which came from Old Norse. In OE it would have been ‘Ċirċebūr’. |
Churchill | Circhill | ♂ | Lastname | - | ċirce | hyll | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Ċirċehyll’. Borne by the English leader and writer, Sir Winston Churchill. |
Clay | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | clǣġ | - | Not a given name in OE. Either a shortening of the English stow-name Clayton, or from the OE stow-name ‘Clæġ’, which comes from the the everyday word for earthen clay. |
Clayland | - | ♂ | Lastname | clǣġ | land | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Clæġland’. | |
Clayton | Claytun | ♂ | Lastname | - | clǣġ | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Clæġtūn’. |
Cleveland | Clefeland | ♂ | Lastname | - | cliff | land | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Clifland’. Borne by American leader Grover Cleveland (1837-1908). |
Cliff | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | cliff | - | Not a given name in OE. A shortening of the lastnames Clifford and Clifton. See also: Clive. |
Clifford | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | cliff | ford | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Clifford’. Borne by the big red dog in the books of the alike name by Norman Bridwell (1928-2014). |
Clifton | Cliftun | ♂ | Lastname | - | cliff | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Cliftūn’. |
Clint | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | glim | - | Not a given name in OE. A shortening of the lastname Clinton. Borne by American film star Clint Eastwood (born 1930). |
Clinton | Clintun | ♂ | Lastname | - | glim | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From a stow-name of a town on the Water Glyme, from OE ‘Glimtūn’. The former half of the name is from a Welsh word meaning, and likely kin with, the English word 'glimmering'. Borne by American leader Bill Clinton (born 1946). |
Clive | Clife | ♂ | Lastname | - | cliff | - | Not a given name in OE. From an OE stow-name for someone who lived by a cliff. |
Clover | Clofer | ♀ | Living | - | - | - | Not a given name in OE. From the everyday word for the wort, which comes from OE ‘clāfre’. |
Coaser | - | ♂ | Quickened | Cāsaer | - | - | Kin with the German name ‘Kaiser’, and in the end, from Latin ‘Caesar’, which came to mean ‘emperor’. |
Colbur | - | ♂ | Unfounded | - | cōl | būr | Not found in OE. A name which would be kin with ‘Colby’, which comes from Old Norse. The OE name would be ‘Cōlbūr’. |
Colburn | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | cōl | burne | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Cōlburne’. |
Colden | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | cōl | denu | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Cōldenu’. |
Cole | - | ♂ | Lastname | Cōla | cōl | - | From the lastname ‘Cole’, sometimes comes from the Old English nickname for someone with dark, or ‘coal’ like skin. Not an Anglish name when a shortening of ‘Nicholas’. |
Coleridge | Colericg | ♂ | Lastname | - | cōl | hryċġ | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Cōlhryċġ’. Borne by English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834). |
Colgate | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | cōl | ġēat | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Cōlġēat’. Borne by Englishman William Colgate (1783-1857), who made the Colgate toothpaste business. |
Colton | Coltun | ♂ | Lastname | - | cōl | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Cōltūn’. |
Conwel | - | ♂ | Quickened | Cēnewealh | cēne | wealh | |
Cranford | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | cran | ford | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Cranford’. |
Cranley | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | cran | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Cranlēah’. |
Cranston | Cranstun | ♂ | Lastname | - | cran | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Crantūn’. |
Crawford | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | crāwe | ford | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Crāweford’. |
Crofton | Croftun | ♂ | Lastname | - | croft | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Crofttūn’. |
Cromwell | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | crumb | wille | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Crumbwille’. Borne by Lord Protector of the United Kingdom, Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658). |
Crow | - | ⚥ | Living | Crawa | crawa | - | |
Crystal | Cristal | ♀ | Living | - | - | - | Not a given name in OE. From the everyday word, which was found in Old English and then later shaped with a ‘y’ spelling. |
Cuthard | - | ♂ | Quickened | Cūþheard | cūþ | heard | |
Cuthbald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Cūþbeald | cūþ | beald | |
Cuthbert | - | ♂ | Living | Cūþbeorht | cūþ | beorht | Borne by a 500s Hallow of Lindisfarne, whose fame kept the name alive in England even after the Norman overthrow. It is also a widespread lastname. |
Cuthbury | - | ♀ | Quickened | Cūþburg | cūþ | burg | |
Cuthmund | - | ♂ | Quickened | Cūþmūnd | cūþ | mūnd | |
Cuthred | - | ♂ | Quickened | Cūþrǣd | cūþ | rǣd | |
Cuthrich | Cuthric | ♂ | Quickened | Cūþrīċ | cūþ | rīċe | |
Cuthswith | - | ♀ | Quickened | Cūþswīþ | cūþ | swīþ | |
Cuthwin | - | ♂ | Quickened | Cūþwine | cūþ | wine | |
Cuthwolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Cūþwulf | cūþ | wulf | |
Cuthyils | - | ♂ | Quickened | Cūþġils | cūþ | ġīsel | |
Daisy | - | ♀ | Living | - | - | - | Not a given name in OE. The given name comes from the name of the flower, which comes from OE ‘dæġeseġe’ (day’s eye). |
Dale | - | ⚥ | Lastname | - | dæl | - | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Dæl’, meaning: a dale/dell, a hollow. |
Dalton | Daltun | ♂ | Lastname | - | dæl | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Dæltūn’, meaning: dale-town. |
Dalwin | - | ♂ | Quickened | Dealwine | deal | wine | |
Dane | - | ♂ | Lastname | Dena | denu | - | While sometimes misread to mean ‘Danish’, the given name ‘Dane’ comes from the English stow-name ‘Dene’ / ‘Dean’, meaning: a dale, a hollow. See also: Dean. |
Darbur | - | ♂ | Unfounded | - | dēor | būr | Not found in OE. A name which would be kin with ‘Darby’ / ‘Derby’, which comes from Old Norse. The OE name would be ‘Dēorbūr’. |
Darton | Dartun | ♂ | Lastname | - | dēor | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Dēortūn’. |
Darwin | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | dēore | wine | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Dēorewine’. Borne by Charles Darwin (1809-1882), writer of On The Origin of Species. |
Dawn | - | ♀ | Living | - | - | - | Not a given name in OE. From the word meaning the start of a new day, from OE ‘daging’, meaning: becoming day (word-for-word: daying). |
Daybert | - | ♂ | Quickened | Dæġbeorht | dæġ | beorht | |
Dayelm | - | ♂ | Quickened | Dæġhelm | dæġ | helm | |
Dayey | - | ♂ | Quickened | Dæġhēah | dæġ | hēah | |
Daymund | - | ♂ | Quickened | Dæġmūnd | dæġ | mūnd | |
Dayren | - | ♂ | Quickened | Dæġhræfn | dæġ | hræfn | |
Dayrich | Dayric | ♂ | Quickened | Dæġrīċ | dæġ | rīċe | |
Dayton | Daytun | ♂ | Lastname | - | dæġ | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Dæġtūn’. |
Dean | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | dene | - | Also spelled ‘Dene’. Not a given name in OE. Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Dene’. Not tied to the churchly stead of Dean, which is instead through French, from Latin 'decanus', meaning: a leader of ten men. Not known to be a standalone name in Old English times. See also: Dane. |
Dell | - | ⚥ | Lastname | - | dæl | - | Not a given name in OE. Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Dæl’. |
Dembert | - | ♂ | Quickened | Denebeorht | dene | beorht | |
Denard | - | ♂ | Quickened | Deneheard | dene | heard | |
Denfrith | - | ♂ | Quickened | Denefriþ | dene | friþ | |
Denham | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | denu | hām | Not a given name in OE. Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Denuhām’. |
Denley | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | denu | lēah | Not a given name in OE. Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Denulēah’. |
Denmood | - | ♂ | Quickened | Denemōd | dene | mōd | |
Denton | Dentun | ♂ | Lastname | - | denu | tūn | Not a given name in OE. Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Denutūn’. |
Denver | Denfer | ♂ | Lastname | - | dene | fær | Not a given name in OE. Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Denefær’. |
Denwald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Deneweald | dene | weald | |
Denwolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Denewulf | dene | wulf | |
Denyils | - | ♂ | Quickened | Deneġils | dene | ġīsel | |
Derbert | - | ♂ | Quickened | Dēorbeorht | dēor | beorht | |
Derland | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | dēor | land | Not a given name in OE. Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Dēorland’. |
Dermood | - | ♂ | Quickened | Dēormōd | dēor | mōd | |
Dermund | - | ♂ | Quickened | Dēormūnd | dēor | mūnd | |
Dernoth | - | ♂ | Quickened | Dēornōþ | dēor | nōþ | |
Derswith | - | ♂ | Quickened | Dēorswīþ | dēor | swīþ | |
Derwald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Dēorweald | dēor | weald | |
Derwolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Dēorwulf | dēor | wulf | |
Dexter | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | - | - | Now a werely name, which comes from a work-name, it first meant a wifely cloth dyer, OE ‘Dēaġstre’. (A dye-ster, in the likewise way as a spinster is a wifely cloth-spinner.) It’s not tied to the Latin word of alike spelling, which instead means right-handed. |
Dolbode | - | ♂ | Unfounded | *Dālbod | dāl | bod | Not a given name in OE. An unfounded name, kin with the Norman name Talbot. |
Dove | Dufe | ♀ | Living | - | - | - | Not a given name in OE. From the word for the bird, which comes from Old English ‘dūfe’, mostly found in compound words. |
Drake | - | ♂ | Lastname | Draca | - | - | |
Drayton | Draytun | ♂ | Lastname | - | dræġ | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Dræġtūn’. |
Dritnoth | - | ♂ | Quickened | Dryhtnōþ | dryht | nōþ | |
Drittelm | - | ♂ | Quickened | Dryhthelm | dryht | helm | |
Dritwald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Dryhtweald | dryht | weald | |
Dryden | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | drȳġe | denu | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Drȳġedenu’. |
Dudley | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | - | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Duddaslēah’, meaning: Dudda’s lea (field). |
Dunnar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Dunnhere | dunn | here | |
Dunstan | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | dūn | stān | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Dūnstān’. |
Dunton | Duntun | ♂ | Lastname | - | dūn | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Dūntūn’. |
Dunwald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Dunnweald | dunn | weald | |
Durward | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | dūru | weard | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Dūruweard’. |
Earl | - | ♂ | Living | *Eorla | eorl | - | From the title of Earl. Not known as a standalone name in Old English, but it was found in compound names. Mostly found as an American given name today. |
Earnest | - | ♂ | Living | - | - | - | Also spelled: Ernest. Not a given name in OE. Either from the everyday word, from OE ‘eornost’, or from the the German name ‘Ernst’. Borne by American writer Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961), and found in Oscar Wilde’s tale, ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ (1895). |
Easter | - | ♀ | Living | Ēaster | ēaster | - | A latter-day name, for the now Christianised spring festival, formerly known as a heathen goddess and spring festival. It was found in bind-names but not as a standalone given name in Old English times. |
Easterwin | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ēasterwine | ēaster | wine | |
Easton | Eastun | ♂ | Lastname | - | ēast | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Ēasttūn’. |
Ed | - | ♂ | Living | Ēadda | ēad | - | A shortening of names like Edward and Edgar. |
Edbald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ēadbeald | ēad | beald | Borne by a 600s King of Kent. |
Edbert | - | ♂ | Living | Ēadbert | ēad | beorht | Borne by a 700s King of Northumbria and by a 700s King of Kent. |
Edbury | - | ♀ | Quickened | Ēadburg | ēad | burg | Also found as the Lastname ‘Ebba’. |
Eddar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ēadhere | ēad | here | |
Eddelm | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ēadhelm | ēad | helm | |
Eddey | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ēadhēah | ēad | hēah | |
Eddie | Eddy | ♂ | Living | Ēadda | ēad | - | Also spelled: Eddy. A shortening of names like Edward and Edgar. Kin with the mainland names Otis (Norman) and Otto (German). |
Edfled | - | ♀ | Quickened | Ēadflǣd | ēad | flǣd | |
Edfrith | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ēadfriþ | ēad | friþ | |
Edgar | - | ♂ | Living | Ēadgār | ēad | gār | Borne by the King of the English (959-975). |
Edie | Edy | ♀ | Living | *Ēaddo | ēad | - | A shortening of the name ‘Edith’. Not known to be a standalone name in OE. |
Edild | - | ♀ | Quickened | Ēadhild | ēad | hild | |
Edils | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ēadġils | ēad | ġils | |
Edith | - | ♀ | Living | Ēadgȳþ | ēad | gȳþ | |
Edive | Edife | ♀ | Quickened | Ēadġifu | ēad | ġifu | Also shortened in Lastnames as 'Edey'. |
Edleaf | - | ♀ | Quickened | Ēadlēofu | ēad | lēof | |
Edlof | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ēadlāf | ēad | lāf | |
Edmar | - | ♂ | Living | Ēadmere | ēad | mere | |
Edmer | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ēadmǣr | ēad | mǣr | |
Edmund | - | ♂ | Living | Ēadmūnd | ēad | mūnd | |
Ednoth | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ēadnōþ | ēad | nōþ | |
Edoun | Edune | ♂ | Quickened | Ēadhūn | ēad | hūn | Also sometimes spelled as the werely name ‘Eden’. |
Edred | - | ♂ | Living | Ēadrǣd | ēad | rǣd | |
Edrich | Edric | ♂ | Quickened | Ēadrīċe | ēad | rīċe | Borne by a 600s King of Kent. |
Edsey | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ēadsiġe | ēad | siġe | |
Edstan | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ēadstān | ēad | stān | |
Edswith | - | ♀ | Quickened | Ēadswīþ | ēad | swīþ | |
Edwaker | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ēadwacer | ēad | wacu | |
Edwald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ēadweald | ēad | weald | |
Edward | - | ♂ | Living | Ēadweard | ēad | weard | One of mighty few Old English names to have not only lived through the Norman overthrow of England, but to have shone with ongoing bearing by Englishman of all iks, even the kings, since Old English times. |
Edwin | - | ♂ | Living | Ēadwine | ēad | wine | While not known as a woman’s name today, it could be once more. The wifely shade died out and became ‘Edwina’ in English, with the Latinate -a ending. |
Edwolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ēadwulf | ēad | wulf | |
Edwy | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ēadwīġ | ēad | wīġ | |
Edyard | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ēadġeard | ēad | ġeard | |
Egbald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Eċġbeald | eċġ | beald | |
Egbert | - | ♂ | Living | Eċġbeorht | eċġ | beorht | Borne by a player in the 2000s American webstrip ‘Homestuck’. |
Egbury | - | ♀ | Quickened | Eċġburg | eċġ | burg | |
Egfrith | - | ♂ | Quickened | Eċġfriþ | eċġ | friþ | |
Eggard | - | ♂ | Quickened | Eċġheard | eċġ | heard | |
Eggelm | - | ♂ | Quickened | Eċġhelm | eċġ | helm | |
Eggoun | Eggune | ♂ | Quickened | Eċġhūn | eċġ | hūn | |
Eglof | - | ♂ | Quickened | Eċġlāf | eċġ | lāf | |
Egmund | - | ♂ | Quickened | Eċġmūnd | eċġ | mūnd | |
Egnoth | - | ♂ | Quickened | Eċġnōþ | eċġ | nōþ | |
Egred | - | ♂ | Quickened | Eċġrǣd | eċġ | rǣd | |
Egrich | Egric | ♂ | Quickened | Eċġrīċ | eċġ | rīċe | |
Egstan | - | ♂ | Quickened | Eċġstān | eċġ | stān | |
Egwald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Eċġweald | eċġ | weald | |
Egwel | - | ♂ | Quickened | Eċġwealh | eċġ | wealh | |
Egwin | - | ♂ | Quickened | Eċġwine | eċġ | wine | |
Egwolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Eċġwulf | eċġ | wulf | |
Eldar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ealdhere | eald | here | |
Eldbert | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ealdbeorht | eald | beorht | |
Eldelm | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ealdhelm | eald | helm | |
Eldfrith | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ealdfriþ | eald | friþ | |
Eldith | - | ♀ | Quickened | Ealdgȳþ | eald | gȳþ | |
Eldon | Eldun | ♂ | Lastname | - | Ella | dūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Ellasdūn’, meaning: Ella’s down (hill). Also spelled: ‘Elsdon’ (Anglish Spelling: Elsdun). |
Eldoun | Eldune | ♂ | Quickened | Ealdhūn | eald | hūn | |
Eldred | - | ♂ | Living | Ealdrǣd | eald | rǣd | Also spelled: Aldred. |
Elfled | - | ♀ | Quickened | Ælfflǣd | ælf | flǣd | |
Elfrith | - | ♀ | Quickened | Ælfrǣd | ælf | rǣd | |
Elfroun | - | ♀ | Quickened | Ælfrūn | ælf | rūn | |
Elfswith | - | ♀ | Quickened | Ælfswīþ | ælf | swīþ | |
Elith | - | ♀ | Quickened | Ealhgȳþ | eald | gȳþ | Could also be spelled: Alith. |
Elmer | - | ♂ | Lastname | Æþelmǣr | æþel | mǣr | See also: Ethelmer. |
Elton | Eltun | ♂ | Lastname | - | Ella | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Ellastūn’. Borne by songwriter Elton John (1947), who was born as Reginald Dwight, and who named himself after his former band-mate, Elton Dean (1945-2006). |
Elver | Elfer | ♀ | Quickened | Ælfwaru | ælf | waru | |
Elvild | Elfild | ♀ | Quickened | Ælfhild | ælf | hild | |
Elvith | Elfith | ♀ | Quickened | Ælfgȳþ | ælf | gȳþ | |
Elvive | Elfife | ♀ | Quickened | Ælfġifu | ælf | ġifu | |
Elwood | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | Ella | wudu | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Ellaswudu’. |
Embald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ēanbeald | ēan | beald | |
Embert | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ēanbeorht | ēan | beorht | |
Emer | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ēomǣr | eoh | mǣr | |
Enfled | - | ♀ | Quickened | Ēanflǣd | ēan | flǣd | |
Enfrith | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ēanfriþ | ēan | friþ | |
Engelren | - | ♂ | Unfounded | Engelhrafn | engel | hræfn | An unfounded name, kin with the Norman name ‘Ingram’. |
Enith | - | ♀ | Quickened | Ēangȳþ | ēan | gȳþ | |
Enmund | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ēanmūnd | ēan | mūnd | |
Ennar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ēanhere | ēan | here | |
Enred | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ēanrǣd | ēan | rǣd | |
Enstan | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ēanstān | ēan | stān | |
Enswith | - | ♀ | Quickened | Ēanswīþ | ēan | swīþ | |
Enwald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ēanweald | ēan | weald | |
Enwin | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ēanwine | ēan | wine | |
Enyard | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ēanġeard | ēan | ġeard | |
Enyisel | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ēanġīsl | ēan | ġīls , ġīsl | |
Erendel | - | ♂ | Quickened | Earendel | earendel | - | The star, known in Old Norse folklore as ‘Aurvandill’, and borne by J. R. R. Tolkien for the name of ‘Eärendil the Mariner’ in The Silmarillion. |
Erkenbald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Eorconbeald | eorcon | beald | Could also be spelled ‘Arkenbald’. Kin with the name ‘Archibald’, which was brought by the Normans, whose ‘ch’ spelling was shaped by likeness to the Greek word ‘archos’. |
Erkenbert | - | ♂ | Quickened | Eorconbeorht | eorcon | beorht | |
Erkenwald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Eorconweald | eorcon | weald | |
Erkenyat | - | ♀ | Quickened | Eorconġēat | eorcon | ġēat | Could also be spelled ‘Arkenyat’, by likeness of J. R. R. Tolkien's wending of OE ‘eorconstān’ (meaning: great/dear-stone) to ‘Arkenstone’ for The Hobbit. |
Ermenbury | - | ♀ | Quickened | Eormenburg | eormen | burg | |
Ermenhild | - | ♀ | Quickened | Eormenhild | eormen | hild | |
Ermenlof | - | ♂ | Quickened | Eormenlāf | eormen | lāf | |
Ermenred | - | ♂ | Quickened | Eormenrǣd | eormen | rǣd | |
Ermenrich | Ermenric | ♂ | Quickened | Eormenrīċ | eormen | rīċe | |
Ermenthrith | - | ♀ | Quickened | Eormenþrȳþ | eormen | þrȳþ | |
Ermenyard | - | ♀ | Unfounded | Eormenġeard | eormen | ġeard | Not found in OE. A name which would be kin with the German name ‘Irmgard’, and the Norman name ‘Ermengarde’. |
Ernwald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Earnweald | earn | weald | Kin with the name ‘Arnold’, which was brought by the Normans. |
Ernwin | - | ♂ | Quickened | Earnwine | earn | wine | |
Ernwolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Earnwulf | earn | wulf | |
Ernwy | - | ♂ | Quickened | Earnwīġ | earn | wīġ | |
Erpwald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Eorpweald | eorp | weald | |
Erpwin | - | ♂ | Quickened | Eorpwine | eorp | wine | |
Esmund | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | ēast | mūnd | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Ēastmūnd’. Most often spelled 'Esmond', which is a Norman spelling of the latter word. |
Estrild | - | ♀ | Living | Ēasthild | ēaster | hild | Written by Geoffrey of Monmouth to be the name of a Germanic atheling who was stolen by the Briton leader, Humber the Hun, known in the tale by the name ‘Estrildis’. |
Ethel | - | ♀ | Living | Æþel | æþel | - | The name died out but came back in the 1800s. Kin with the Norman name Adele. |
Ethelbald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Æþelbeald | æþel | beald | Borne by a 700s King of Mercia and by an 800s King of Wessex. |
Ethelbert | - | ♂ | Living | Æþelbeorht | æþel | beorht | A short-lived name brought back in the 1800s. Borne by many kings from the 500s to 800s, and outstanding Americans of the 1800s, such as Ethelbert Watts (1846–1919). Kin with the Norman name Albert. |
Ethelbrand | - | ♂ | Quickened | Æþelbrand | æþel | brand | |
Ethelbury | - | ♀ | Quickened | Æþelburg | æþel | burg | |
Etheleaf | - | ♀ | Quickened | Æþellēof | æþel | lēof | |
Ethelfled | - | ♀ | Quickened | Æþelflǣd | æþel | flǣd | Can also be spelled: Athelfled. Borne by the daughter of Alfred the Great and Lady of Mercia in the 800s. |
Ethelfrith | - | ♂ | Quickened | Æþelfriþ | æþel | friþ | Borne by a 500s King of Bernicia. |
Ethelgar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Æþelgār | æþel | gār | |
Ethelith | - | ♀ | Quickened | Æþelgȳþ | æþel | gȳþ | |
Ethelive | Ethelife | ♀ | Quickened | Æþelġifu | æþel | ġifu | |
Ethellad | - | ♀ | Unfounded | *Æþelhād | æþel | hād | Not found in OE. A name which would be kin with the Norman name ‘Adelaide’, and the French name ‘Alice’. |
Ethellar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Æþelhere | æþel | here | Borne by a 600s King of East Anglia. |
Ethellard | - | ♂ | Quickened | Æþelheard , Æþeġeard | æþel | heard , ġeard | A blend of two Old English names that would likely have blended into one another over time. Æþelheard was borne by a 700s King of Wessex. |
Ethellelm | - | ♂ | Quickened | Æþelhelm | æþel | helm | |
Ethelley | - | ♂ | Quickened | Æþelhēah | æþel | hēah | |
Ethellild | - | ♀ | Quickened | Æþelhild | æþel | hild | |
Ethelloun | Ethellune | ♂ | Quickened | Æþelhūn | æþel | hūn | Can also be spelled: Athelloun (Anglish Spelling: Athellune) |
Ethelman | - | ♂ | Quickened | Æþelmann | æþel | mann | Can also be spelled: Athelman. |
Ethelmer | - | ♂ | Quickened | Æþelmǣr | æþel | mǣr | Can also be spelled: Athelmer. Kin with Elmer, which is a shortening, from alike Old English name. |
Ethelmood | - | ♂ | Quickened | Æþelmōd | æþel | mōd | |
Ethelmund | - | ♂ | Quickened | Æþelmūnd | æþel | mūnd | |
Ethelnoth | - | ♂ | Quickened | Æþelnōþ | æþel | nōþ | |
Ethelred | - | ♂ | Quickened | Æþelrǣd | æþel | rǣd | Can also be spelled: Athelred. Borne by a 600s King of Mercia, by 700s and 800s Kings of Northumbria, by an 800s King of East Anglia, by an 800s King of Kent and by an 800s King of Wessex. |
Ethelrich | Ethelric | ♂ | Quickened | Æþelrīċ | æþel | rīċe | Can also be spelled: Athelrich (Anglish Spelling: Athelric). King of Bernicia and by a 500s King of Deira. |
Ethelsey | - | ♂ | Quickened | Æþelsiġe | æþel | siġe | For the living name with alike spelling, see: Chelsea. |
Ethelstan | - | ♂ | Quickened | Æþelstān | æþel | stān | See: Athelstan. |
Ethelswith | - | ♀ | Quickened | Æþelswīþ | æþel | swīþ | Can also be spelled: Athelswith. Borne by a Queen of Mercia in the 800s. |
Ethelthrith | - | ♀ | Quickened | Æþelþrȳþ | æþel | þrȳþ | Can also be spelled: Athelthrith. Borne by the Holywoman and Queen of Northumbria and The Fens in the 600s. Kin with the Norman name ‘Audrey’. |
Ethelwald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Æþelweald | æþel | weald | Can also be spelled: Athelwald. Borne by a 600s King of East Anglia, by a 600s King of Deira and by a 700s King of Northumbria. |
Ethelward | - | ♂ | Quickened | Æþelweard | æþel | weard | Can also be spelled: Athelward. Borne by an 800s King of East Anglia. |
Ethelwel | - | ♂ | Quickened | Æþelwealh | æþel | wealh | Can also be spelled: Athelwel. Borne by a 600s King of Sussex. |
Ethelwin | - | ⚥ | Quickened | Æþelwine ♂ , Æþelwynn ♀ | æþel | wine , wynn | Can also be spelled: Athelwin. Borne by an English holyman of the 600s and another of the 1000s. |
Ethelwolf | - | ♂ | Living | Æþelwulf | æþel | wulf | Can also be spelled: Athelwolf. Borne by an 800s King of Kent and by an 800s King of Wessex. Kin with the German name ‘Adolf’ and its Latinised English shape, ‘Adolph’. |
Ethelwy | - | ♂ | Quickened | Æþelwīġ | æþel | wīge | Can also be spelled: Athelwy. |
Ethelyard | - | ♀ | Quickened | Æþelġeard | æþel | ġeard | Can also be spelled: Athelyard. Kin with Edelgard. |
Everard | Eferard | ♂ | Lastname | Eoferheard | eofer | heard | Also found as the lastname, ‘Everett’ (Anglish Spelling: Eferett). Likely a blend of the Old English ‘Eoferheard’ and Norman ‘Eburhard’, though the OE shape would likely yield alike outcome, even if it had died out. |
Everley | Eferley | ♀ | Lastname | - | eofer | lēah | Also spelled: Everly (Anglish Spelling: Eferly). Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Eoferlēah’. |
Everton | Efertun | ♂ | Lastname | - | eofer | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Eofertūn’. |
Everwich | Eferwic | ♂ | Unfounded | - | eofer | wiċ | Not a given name in OE. This is the inborn shape of the word that became the town of ‘York’, which itself was shaped by Old Norse, from ‘Iorvik’, and which was ‘Eoferwiċ’ in OE. |
Everwin | Eferwin | ♂ | Lastname | - | eofer | wine | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Eoferwine’. Also found shortened in names such as ‘Irwin’ and ‘Erwin’. |
Fairchild | Faircild | ♂ | Lastname | - | fæġer | ċild | Not a given name in OE. From a lastname that began as a nickname for a child with fair hair, from OE ‘Fæġerċild’. |
Fairfax | - | ⚥ | Lastname | - | fæġer | fax | Not a given name in OE. From a lastname that began as a nickname for someone with fair hair. From OE Fæġerfax. |
Farman | - | ♂ | Quickened | Færmann | fær | mann | |
Farnham | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | fearn | hām | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Fearnhām’. |
Farnley | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | fearn | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Fearnlēah’. |
Farnoth | - | ♂ | Unfounded | *Færnōþ | fær | nōþ | Not found in OE. A name which would be kin with ‘Ferdinand’, which is a Spanish shape of an older mainland Germanic name. |
Fastwolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Fæstwulf | fæst | wulf | |
Fear | - | ⚥ | Living | - | - | - | Not a given name in OE. A puritanical Christian name, from the everyday English word. |
Felbert | - | ♂ | Unfounded | *Felbeorht | fela | beorht | Not found in OE. A name which would be kin with ‘Philbert’, a name brought from mainland Europe, and which is spelled by likeness to the Latin ‘philos’, meaning ‘love’. |
Felton | Feltun | ♂ | Lastname | - | feld | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Feldtūn’. |
Felyeld | - | ♂ | Quickened | Feoluġeld | feld | ġeld | |
Fenn | - | ♂ | Lastname | Fenn | fenn | - | Not a given name in OE. Either from the standalone lastname of ‘Fenn’, or as a shortening of the name ‘Fenton’, which also began as a lastname. |
Fenton | Fentun | ♂ | Lastname | - | fenn | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Fenntūn’. |
Fenwick | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | fenn | wīċ | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Fennwīċ’. |
Fern | - | ♀ | Living | - | - | - | Not a given name in OE. A name that became widespread in the 1800s, both for boys and girls, and later mostly for girls, named for the wort. |
Fleetwood | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | flēot | wudu | Not a given name in OE. From the lastname ‘Fleetwood,’ frome OE ‘Flēotwudu’, Spread by the rock band Fleetwood Mac. |
Flint | - | ♂ | Living | Flint | - | - | From the everyday word ‘flint’, meaning: tough, sturdy, or steadfast. |
Folkar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Folchere | folc | here | |
Folkard | - | ♂ | Quickened | Folcheard | folc | heard | |
Folkbert | - | ♂ | Quickened | Folcbeorht | folc | beorht | |
Folkbury | - | ♀ | Quickened | Folcburg | folc | burg | |
Folkwald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Folcweald | folc | weald | |
Folkwin | - | ♂ | Quickened | Folcwine | folc | wine | |
Ford | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | ford | - | Not a given name in OE. A name that began as a stow-name for someone who lived near the ford of a stream. |
Frank | - | ♂ | Living | Franca | frenc | - | Either to do with the French folk, or from the word meaning ‘free’ (as in: to speak frankly). |
Freeman | - | ♂ | Lastname | Frēomann | frēo | mann | Borne by the main player in the American games ‘Half-Life’ and ‘Half-Life 2’. |
Frelof | - | ♂ | Quickened | Frēalāf | frēa | lāf | |
Frewer | - | ♀ | Quickened | Frēawaru | frēa | waru | Also found as the lastname ‘Frewer’, from OE ‘Frēowaru’, where the first bit is from frēo (free, highborn). |
Frewin | - | ⚥ | Quickened | Frēawine ♂ , Frēawynn ♀ | frēa | wine, wynn | |
Frewolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Frēawulf | frēa | wulf | |
Friday | - | ⚥ | Living | Friġedæġ | frēo | dæġ | A given name since at least Old English times. From the everyday word for the day of the week, named for the god and heavenly body, ‘Fry’ (‘Frigg’ in Old Norse; Interpretatio Roman from ‘Venus’). Given to children born on the day. |
Frith | - | ♀ | Living | Friþ | friþ | - | Kin with the name ‘Fred’, a shortening of ‘Frederick’, which is an Anglo-Norman name. |
Frithbert | - | ♂ | Quickened | Friþubeorht | friþ | beorht | |
Frithelm | - | ♂ | Quickened | Friþuhelm | friþ | helm | |
Frithgar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Friþugār | friþ | gār | |
Frithith | - | ♀ | Quickened | Friþugȳþ | friþ | gȳþ | |
Frithlof | - | ♂ | Quickened | Friþulāf | friþ | lāf | |
Frithmund | - | ♂ | Quickened | Friþumūnd | friþ | mūnd | Kin with the Norse name ‘Friðmundur’. |
Frithred | - | ♂ | Quickened | Friþurǣd | friþ | rǣd | |
Frithrich | Frithric | ♂ | Quickened | Friþurīċ | friþ | rīċ | Kin with the Anglo-Norman name ‘Frederick’. |
Frithstan | - | ♂ | Quickened | Friþustān | friþ | stān | |
Frithswith | - | ♀ | Quickened | Friþuswīþ | friþ | swīþ | |
Frithwald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Friþuweald | friþ | weald | |
Frithwin | - | ♂ | Quickened | Friþuwine | friþ | wine | |
Frithwolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Friþuwulf | friþ | wulf | |
Frithyard | - | ♂ | Quickened | Friþuġeard | friþ | ġeard | |
Frithyils | - | ♂ | Quickened | Friþuġils | friþ | ġīsel | |
Frodo | - | ♂ | Living | Frōda | frōd | - | A name spread by J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. The -o ending may be a Latin shape of the name; it may otherwise be spelled ‘Frode’. |
Frost | - | ♂ | Living | - | frost | - | Not known to be a given name in OE. Either from the lastname Frost, often named for the writer Robert Frost, or from the everyday word, for someone born in winter, or for someone with fair or white hair. |
Fry | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | frēo | - | Not known to be a given name in OE. From the lastname ‘Fry’, which began as a name of standing for a free-man. See also: Freeman. |
Fulred | - | ♂ | Quickened | Fulrǣd | full | rǣd | |
Fulton | Fultun | ♂ | Lastname | - | fugol | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Fugoltūn’. |
Gadfrith | - | ♂ | Quickened | Gādfriþ | gād | friþ | |
Gadrich | Gadric | ♂ | Quickened | Gādrīċ | gād | rīċ | |
Gangwolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Gangwulf | gang | wulf | See also: Wolfgang. |
Gar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Gara | gār | - | See also: Gary. |
Garfield | Garfeeld | ♂ | Lastname | gār | feld | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Gārfeld’. Spread by American leader James Garfield (1831—1881), and later by the funny-strip ‘Garfield’ by Jim Davis (1945-present). | |
Garland | - | ♂ | Lastname | gār | land | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Gārland’. | |
Garmund | - | ♂ | Quickened | Gārmūnd | gār | mūnd | |
Garrard | - | ♂ | Quickened | Gārheard | gār | heard | Kin with the German name ‘Gerhard’, and the Norman name ‘Gerard’. |
Garthrist | - | ♂ | Quickened | Gārþrist | gār | þrist | |
Garthrith | - | ♀ | Unfounded | Gārþrȳþ | gār | þrȳþ | Not found in OE. A name which would be kin with the Norse name ‘Gertrude’. |
Garwald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Gārweald | gār | weald | Kin with the Norman name ‘Gerald’. |
Garwin | - | ♂ | Quickened | Gārwine | gār | wine | |
Garwolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Gārwulf | gār | wulf | |
Gary | - | ♂ | Living | Gara | gār | - | See also: Gar. Short for any of the names beginning with ‘Gar’, such as ‘Garfield’. |
Gaz | Gas | ♂ | Living | - | gār | - | See also: Gary. A nickname for ‘Gary’ or other names beginning with ‘Gar’. |
Gladstone | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | glæd | stān | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Glædstān’. |
Gladwin | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | glæd | wine | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Glædwine’. |
Goddard | - | ♂ | Lastname | Godheard | god | heard | A blend of the Old English name ‘Godheard’ and Norman name ‘Godard’, which spring from alike Germanic name. |
Godfrith | - | ♂ | Quickened | Godfriþ | god | friþ | Kin with the Norman names ‘Godfrey’ and ‘Geoffrey’. |
Godiva | Godifa | ♀ | Living | Godġifu | god | ġifu | Living name from a Latin shape of OE ‘Godġifu’. Borne by Lady Godiva in the 1000s. It may otherwise be written as ‘Godive’ (Anglish Spelling: Godife). |
Godroun | Godrune | ♀ | Quickened | Godrūn | god | rūn | Kin with the Norse name ‘Gudrun’ from the Volsung Saga. |
Godshalk | Godscalk | ♂ | Quickened | Gōdṡċealc | wulf | ṡċealc | |
Godwin | - | ♂ | Living | Godwine | god | wine | Borne by an leading helper to the king in the 1000s, whose son, Harold Godwinson, was later made king and then killed in the Norman overthrow of England. The given name may come from a lastname rather than ongoing bearing since Old English times. |
Goldar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Goldhere | gold | here | |
Goldie | Goldy | ♀ | Living | Golda ♂ | gold | - | |
Golding | - | ♂ | Quickened | Golding | gold | ing | |
Goldive | Goldife | ♀ | Quickened | Goldġifu | gold | ġifu | |
Goldman | - | ♂ | Quickened | Goldmann | gold | mann | |
Goldrich | Goldric | ♂ | Quickened | Goldrīċ | gold | rīċ | |
Goldroun | Goldrune | ♀ | Quickened | Goldrūn | gold | rūn | |
Goldsey | - | ♂ | Quickened | Goldsiġe | gold | siġe | |
Goldstan | - | ♂ | Quickened | Goldstān | gold | stān | |
Goldwin | - | ♂ | Quickened | Goldwine | gold | wine | |
Goodar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Gōdhere | gōd | here | |
Goodey | - | ♀ | Quickened | Gōdġifu | gōd | ġifu | |
Goodie | Goody | ♀ | Quickened | Gōde | gōd | - | |
Goodman | - | ♂ | Lastname | Gōdmann | gōd | mann | |
Goodwife | - | ♀ | Quickened | Gōdwīf | gōd | wīf | |
Goodwin | - | ⚥ | Quickened | Gōdwine ♂ , Gōdwynn ♀ | gōd | wine, wynn | |
Goodwolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Gōdwulf | gōd | wulf | |
Goodwy | - | ♂ | Quickened | Gōdwīġ | gōd | wīġe | |
Gorham | - | ♂ | Lastname | Gārhām | gār | hām | Not a given name in OE. |
Gorton | Gortun | ♂ | Lastname | Gārtūn | gār | tūn | Not a given name in OE. |
Grafton | Graftun | ♂ | Lastname | - | grāf | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Grāftūn’, meaning: grove-town. |
Graham | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | grund | hām | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Grundhām’. |
Gresham | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | græs | hām | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Græshām’. |
Grey | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | - | - | Not a given name in OE. From the lastname ‘Grey’, which can come from the everyday word borne as a nickname. |
Grimbald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Grimbeald | grim | beald | |
Grover | Grofer | ♂ | Lastname | - | - | - | Not a given name in OE. From the stow-name for someone who lived in or by a grove. Borne by American leader Grover Cleveland (1837–1908). |
Guthar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Gūþhere | gȳþ | here | Kin with the German name ‘Günther’, and the Norse name ‘Gunnar’. |
Guthfrith | - | ♂ | Quickened | Gūþfriþ | gȳþ | friþ | |
Guthlock | - | ♂ | Quickened | Gūþlāc | gȳþ | lāc | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guthlac_of_Crowland |
Guthlof | - | ♂ | Quickened | Gūþlāf | gȳþ | lāf | |
Guthmund | - | ♂ | Quickened | Gūþmūnd | gȳþ | mūnd | |
Guthwald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Gūþweald | gȳþ | weald | |
Guthwin | - | ♂ | Quickened | Gūþwine | gȳþ | wine | |
Gytha | - | ♀ | Frozen | Gūþa ♂, Gūþo ♀ | gȳþ | - | A frozen spelling of an Old English name that was brought back in Victorian times with a latinised wifely -a ending. (In Old English, -a was a werely ending, the wifely ending being -o.) |
Hadley | - | ⚥ | Lastname | - | hǣþ | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Hǣþlēah’. |
Hal | - | ♂ | Living | - | - | - | A lambdaism of the shortened name Harry. (When an ‘r’ becomes an ‘l’.) See also: Harry. |
Hale | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | - | - | Not a given name in OE. From a stow-name for someone who lived in a hollow or nook, from the OE word for hole, ‘halh’. |
Halfdan | - | ♂ | Quickened | Healfdene | healf | dene | |
Hall | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | - | - | Not a given name in OE. From a stow-name for someone who lived in a shared hall. |
Halwid | - | ♀ | Unfounded | *Hǣlþwīd | hǣlþ | wīd | Not found in OE. A name which would be kin with the Norman name ‘Eloise’. |
Hamilton | Hamiltun | ♂ | Lastname | Hameldūn | hamel | dūn | Not a given name in OE. Borne by American Founding Father, Alexander Hamilton (about 1756 to 1804). |
Hamrich | Hamric | ♂ | Unfounded | *Hāmrīċ | hām | rīċe | Not found in OE. A name which would be kin with the German name ‘Heinrich’, as well as the Norman names ‘Hank’, ‘Harry’ and ‘Henry’. |
Handmaid | - | ♀ | Living | - | - | - | Not a given name in OE. A puritanical Christian name, from the everyday English word. |
Handshoe | Handscoe | ♂ | Quickened | Hondṡċio | hond | ṡċio | A name meaning ‘Glove’. Friend of Beowulf in the tale of Beowulf. |
Harbald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Herebeald | here | beald | |
Harbert | - | ♂ | Quickened | Herebeorht | here | beorht | Lives on in the Norman-swayed name ‘Herbert’. |
Hardbert | - | ♂ | Quickened | Heardbeorht | heard | beorht | |
Harding | - | ♂ | Lastname | Hearding | heard | ing | While it was a name in Old English, it lives on today by way of the lastname. Spread by the American leader Warren Harding (1865-1923). |
Hardred | - | ♂ | Quickened | Heardrǣd | heard | rǣd | |
Hardwick | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | heard | wiċ | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Heardwiċ’. |
Hardwin | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | heard | wine | See also: Harwin. Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Heardwine’. |
Harfrith | - | ♂ | Quickened | Herefriþ | here | friþ | |
Harich | Haric | ♂ | Quickened | Hererīċ | here | rīċe | |
Harith | - | ♀ | Quickened | Heregȳþ | here | gȳþ | |
Harland | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | hara | lond | Also spelled: Harlan. Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Haralond’. |
Harleaf | - | ♂ | Unfounded | *Herelēof | here | lēof | Not found in OE. A name which would be kin with the Norse name ‘Herleifr’. |
Harley | - | ⚥ | Lastname | - | hara | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Haralēah’. Often named after the motorcycle business Harley Davidson. |
Harlow | - | ⚥ | Lastname | - | here | hlǣw | Also spelled: Arlo, Arlow, Harlowe. Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Herehlǣw’. |
Harman | - | ♂ | Quickened | Haramann | here | mann | Lives on as a lastname. Kin with the living mainland name of alike shape, ‘Harman’, as well as the names ‘Harmon’, ‘Hermann’, ‘Herman’, ‘Harmann’, ‘Harmin’, ‘Arman’, ‘Armani’, and ‘Ehrman’. |
Harmer | - | ♂ | Quickened | Haramǣr | here | mǣr | |
Harmood | - | ♂ | Quickened | Haramōd | here | mōd | |
Harold | - | ♂ | Living | Hereweald | here | weald | Could also be spelled: Harwald. The -old ending instead of -wald is likely owed to being shaped by its Norse kin, Haraldr. Died out after the Norman overthrow, brought back in the 1800s. See also: Harwald. |
Harper | - | ⚥ | Living | - | - | - | Not a given name in OE. From an occupational lastname for a harp-player, from OE ‘hearpa’. |
Harred | - | ♂ | Quickened | Hererǣd | here | rǣd | |
Harris | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | here | - | A lastname for someone fathered by a ‘Harry’. Straightforwardly: Harry’s. |
Harrison | Harrisun | ♂ | Lastname | - | here | son | A lastname for the son of a ‘Harry’. Straightforwardly: Harry’s son. |
Harry | - | ♂ | Living | - | here | - | While this began in English as a shortening of ‘Henry’, an Anglo-Norman name, it is also a shortening of other Har- names, such as ‘Harold’. |
Harsey | - | ♂ | Quickened | Heresiġe | here | siġe | |
Harstan | - | ♂ | Quickened | Herestān | here | stān | |
Harswith | - | ♀ | Quickened | Hereswīþ | here | swīþ | |
Hartford | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | heorot | ford | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Heorotford’. |
Hartley | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | heorot | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Heorotlēah’. |
Hartwell | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | heorot | wille | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Heorotwille’. |
Harwald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Hereweald | here | weald | See also: Harold. |
Harward | - | ♂ | Lastname | Hereweard | here | weard | Borne by Hereward the Wake, a man who fought back the 1066 Norman overthrow of England. Also kin with the Norse name Harvard. See also: Hereward. |
Harwin | - | ♂ | Quickened | Herewine | here | wine | The lastname of alike spelling is said by Coats and Others in The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland to be from the Anglo-Norman name ‘Harduin’ (Hardwin). |
Harwolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Herewulf | here | wulf | |
Hathaway | - | ⚥ | Lastname | - | hǣþ | weġ | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Hǣþaweġ’. Borne by the film player Anne Hathaway. |
Hathbald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Heaþubeald | heaþu | beald | |
Hathbert | - | ♂ | Quickened | Heaþubeorht | heaþu | beorht | |
Hathfrith | - | ♂ | Quickened | Heaþufriþ | heaþu | friþ | |
Hathkin | - | ♂ | Quickened | Heaþucyn | heaþu | cynn | |
Hathlock | - | ♂ | Quickened | Heaþulāc | heaþu | lāc | |
Hathlof | - | ♂ | Quickened | Heaþulāf | heaþu | lāf | |
Hathred | - | ♂ | Quickened | Heaþurǣd | heaþu | rǣd | |
Hathrich | Hathric | ♂ | Quickened | Heaþurīċ | heaþu | rīċe | The name of a hero in the great poem Widsith. |
Hathwald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Heaþuweald | heaþu | weald | |
Hathwolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Heaþuwulf | heaþu | wulf | |
Hathwy | - | ♀ | Quickened | Heaþuwīġe | heaþu | wīġe | Kin with the German name ‘Hedwig’. |
Hawk | - | ♂ | Living | - | - | - | Not a given name in OE. Either for the everyday word for the bird (from OE ‘hafoc’) or from the lastname, also from alike word. |
Hayden | - | ⚥ | Lastname | - | heġ | denu , dūn | Also spelled: Haden, Haydon (Anglish Spelling: ‘Haydun’). Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-names ‘Heġedenu’ or ‘Heġedūn’. The latter bit could be from either OE ‘denu’ (a den, dale) or ‘dūn’ (a down, hill). Tied only by likeness to the glee-writer, Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809), whose name comes instead from the Netherlandish word for ‘heathen’. The likeness to the Irish name ‘Aidan’ is also by luck. |
Hayley | - | ⚥ | Lastname | - | heġ | lēah | Also spelled: Haley. Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Heġelēah’. Borne by the English child player Hayley Mills (b. 1946). |
Hayward | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | heġ | weard | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Heġeweard’. |
Haywood | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | heġ | wudu | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Heġewudu’. |
Hazel | Hasel | ♀ | Living | - | - | - | Not a given name in OE. Crafted in the 1800s after the name of the wort, from OE ‘hæsel’. |
Heath | - | ♂ | Living | Hǣþa | hǣþ | - | Borne by the drawer William Heath Robinson (1872—1944), whose name spurred the saying ‘Heath Robinson’ for an overly knotty tool. See also: Heather. |
Heather | - | ♀ | Living | Hǣþe | hǣþ | - | See also: Heath. |
Heaven | Heafen | ♀ | Living | - | - | - | Not a given name in OE. From the everyday word, ‘heaven’, from OE ‘heofon’. |
Hedley | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | heaþ | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Hǣþulēah’, meaning: heath-lea (field). |
Helmstan | - | ♂ | Quickened | Helmstān | helm | stān | |
Helmwald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Helmweald | helm | weald | |
Helmwolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Helmwulf | helm | wulf | |
Helmyils | - | ♂ | Quickened | Helmġils | helm | ġīsel | |
Helstan | - | ♂ | Quickened | Helstān | hel | stān | |
Helwald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Helweald | hel | weald | |
Hereward | - | ♂ | Frozen | Hereweard | here | weard | Borne by Hereward the Wake, a man who fought back the 1066 Norman overthrow of England. Hereward is a frozen spelling of a name that would most likely be spelled ‘Harward’ if it came to us through ongoing bearing. (See words like ‘harbor’, or names like ‘Harold’ and ‘Alvar’.) See also: Harward. |
Hergar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Heorugār | heoru | gār | |
Herrend | - | ♂ | Quickened | Heorrenda | heoru | rand | A shop from the Battle of the Heodenings. |
Herrolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Heorulf | heoru | wulf | |
Herstan | - | ♂ | Quickened | Heorustān | heoru | stān | |
Herwald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Heoruweald | heoru | weald | |
Herward | - | ♂ | Quickened | Heoruweard | heoru | weard | |
Heybert | - | ♂ | Quickened | Hēahbeorht | hēah | beorht | |
Heybury | - | ♀ | Quickened | Hēahburg | hēah | burg | |
Heyfrith | - | ♂ | Quickened | Hēahfriþ | hēah | friþ | |
Heymund | - | ♂ | Quickened | Hēahmūnd | hēah | mūnd | Kin with the Norman name ‘Hammond’. |
Heynoth | - | ♂ | Quickened | Hēahnōþ | hēah | nōþ | |
Heyred | - | ♂ | Quickened | Hēahrǣd | hēah | rǣd | |
Heystan | - | ♂ | Quickened | Hēahstān | hēah | stān | |
Heyward | - | ♂ | Quickened | Hēahweard | hēah | weard | Kin with the name ‘Howard’, which is thought to be from a name such as mainland ‘Hugihard’ (kin with Hugh-hard) or Norse ‘Hávarđr’. |
Heywolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Hēahwulf | hēah | wulf | |
High | Hige | ♂ | Unfounded | *Hēah | hēah | - | Not found in OE. A name which would be kin with the Norman name ‘Hugh’, meaning: mindful, kindhearted. |
Hild | - | ♀ | Quickened | Hild | hild | - | |
Hildbald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Hildbeald | hild | beald | |
Hildbert | - | ♂ | Quickened | Hildbeorht | hild | beorht | Kin with the Anglo-Norman names ‘Hilbert’ and ‘Ilbert’. |
Hildbury | - | ♀ | Quickened | Hildburg | hild | burg | |
Hildfrith | - | ♂ | Quickened | Hildfriþ | hild | friþ | |
Hildmer | - | ♂ | Quickened | Hildmǣr | hild | mǣr | |
Hildred | - | ⚥ | Living | Hildrǣd | hild | rǣd | Died out following the Norman overthrow and was brought back in the 1800s. |
Hildrich | Hildric | ♂ | Quickened | Hildrīċ | hild | rīċ | Seldom, if ever found in Old English times. Written about in the Onomasticon Anglo-Saxonicum to be borne by an abbot of Monte Cassino, Italy, in the 800s. Looks to have been borne in Proto-Germanic, and borrowed into Latin, but died out as a widely borne Germanic name. |
Hildwin | - | ⚥ | Quickened | Hildwine ♂ , Hildwynn ♀ | hild | wine | |
Hildyard | - | ⚥ | Quickened | Hildġeard | hild | ġeard | Kin with the German name ‘Hildegard’, as borne by Hildegard von Bingen. |
Hill | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | hyll | - | Not a given name in OE. From a stow-name for someone who lived in or near a hill. Sometimes a shortening of the name ‘Hilton’. See also: Hilton. |
Hilton | Hiltun | ♂ | Lastname | - | hyll | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Hylltūn’. Borne by Conrad Hilton (1887-1979), starter of Hilton Hotels. |
Hisbert | - | ♂ | Quickened | Hysebeorht | hyse | beorht | |
Hisnoth | - | ♂ | Quickened | Hysenōþ | hyse | nōþ | |
Holden | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | hol | denu | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Holdenu’. Borne by the player Holden Caulfield in the J. D. Salinger book ‘Catcher in the Rye’ (1951). |
Holly | - | ♀ | Living | - | - | - | Not a given name in OE. From the everyday word, ‘holly’, from OE ‘holeġn’. Mostly given to girls born about Yuletide. |
Holmgar | - | ♂ | Unfounded | *Holmgār | holm | gār | Not found in OE. A name which would be kin with the Norse name ‘Holger’. The Norse word ‘holm’ meant ‘island’, but the Old English word ‘holm’ spoke to seas and waters on the whole. |
Holy | - | ⚥ | Quickened | Hāliġ | hāliġ | - | Kin with the Norse name, ‘Helga’, and the Russian names, ‘Oleg’ and ‘Olga’. |
Honey | Huney | ♀ | Living | - | - | - | Not a given name in OE. From the everyday word, ‘honey’, from OE ‘huniġ’. |
Hoover | Hoofer | ⚥ | Lastname | *Hōfaru | - | - | Not found in OE. It comes from a straightforward Englishing of the German working-name, ‘Huber’, to English ‘Hoover’, meaning: a hoof-worker. It follows the trend of Germans shifting their names to their English matches upon settling as Americans, like the German name ‘Stein’ becoming the English name ‘Stone’; and ‘Schmidt’ becoming ‘Smith’. ‘Hoover’, however, was not a longstanding English lastname, and is therefore an English name known first to the Americas. Borne by two Americans of high standing: American leader Herbert Hoover (1874-1964); and head of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover (1895-1972). |
Hope | - | ♀ | Living | - | - | - | Not a given name in OE. A puritanical Christian name, from the everyday English word. |
Horse | - | ♂ | Quickened | Horsa | hors | - | Horsa, along with his brother Horsa, are said in English lore to have begun the English settling of Albion with a slaughter of the British leaders. Kin with the German name, ‘Horst’. |
Horselind | - | ♀ | Unfounded | Horslind | hors | lind | Not a given name in OE. Kin with the name Rosalind. |
Horton | Hortun | ♂ | Lastname | - | horh | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Horhtūn’. Borne by the main player in the Dr. Seuss books ‘Horton Hatches the Egg’, and ‘Horton Hears a Who’. |
Hrothgar | - | ♂ | Frozen | Hrōþgār | hrōþ | gār | A frozen spelling from Old English, brought straight from the great tale, Beowulf. Borne by economic historian Sir Hrothgar John Habakkuk (1915-2002). Kin with the Norman name ‘Roger’. See also: Rothgar. |
Hudson | Hudsun | ♂ | Lastname | - | - | - | Not a given name in OE. Sometimes from a Norman name, for the son of a man named Hugh. As an Anglish name, it is from the OE name, ‘Hūdassunu’, meaning: son of Hūda. |
Humbert | - | ♂ | Living | Hūnbeorht | hūn | beorht | Either blended with, or was upset with the Norman name, which also became ‘Humbert’. |
Hunfrith | - | ♂ | Quickened | Hūnfriþ | hūn | friþ | Kin with the Norman name ‘Humphrey’. |
Hunith | - | ♀ | Quickened | Hūngȳþ | hūn | gȳþ | |
Hunive | Hunife | ♀ | Quickened | Hūnġifu | hūn | ġifu | |
Hunlof | - | ♂ | Quickened | Hūnlāf | hūn | lāf | |
Hunred | - | ♂ | Quickened | Hūnrǣd | hūn | rǣd | |
Hunsey | - | ♂ | Quickened | Hūnsiġe | hūn | siġe | |
Hunstan | - | ♂ | Quickened | Hūnstān | hūn | stān | |
Hunter | - | ⚥ | Living | Hunta ♂ , Hunto ♀ | hunt | - | |
Huntley | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | hunt | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Huntlēah’. |
Hunwald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Hūnweald | hūn | weald | |
Huxley | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | - | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Huccaslēah, meaning: Hucca’s lea (field). Often named after Charles Darwin’s supporter, Thomas Huxley (1825-1895). |
Hybald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Hyġebeald | hyġe | beald | |
Hybert | - | ♂ | Quickened | Hyġebeorht | hyġe | beorht | Kin with the Norman name ‘Hubert’. |
Hylock | - | ♂ | Quickened | Hyġelāc | hyġe | lāc | |
Hyton | Hytun | ♂ | Unfounded | - | hyġe | tūn | Not found in OE. A name which would be kin with the Anglo-Norman name ‘Houston’, which would read in OE as ‘Hyġetūn’. |
Ingbrand | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ingbrand | Ing | brand | |
Ingbury | - | ♀ | Quickened | Ingburg | Ing | burg | Kin with the Norse name ‘Ingeborg’. |
Ingmer | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ingmǣr | Ing | mǣr | |
Ingrith | - | ⚥ | Quickened | Ingriþ | Ing | friþ | Kin with the Norse name ‘Ingrid’. While Ingrid was almost always a woman’s name, the seemingly Old English match, ‘Ingriþ’ was only found as a man’s name. |
Ingwald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ingweald | Ing | weald | |
Irwin | - | ♂ | Lastname | Eoferwine | eofer | wine | Also spelled: Erwin. A shortening of the Middle English name ‘Everwin’ that lives on as a Lastname. |
Isenhewer | - | ♂ | Unfounded | *Īsenheawa | īsen | heawan | Not found in OE. A name which would be kin with ‘Eisenhauer’, which is a German lastname meaning ‘iron-hewer’, spread in the English-speaking world by the American leader. |
Ivy | Ify | ♀ | Living | - | ifiġ | - | Not known to be a given name in Old English times. |
Kembert | - | ♂ | Quickened | Cēnbeorht | cēne | beorht | |
Kembury | - | ♀ | Quickened | Cēnburg | cēne | burg | |
Kemp | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | - | - | Not a given name in OE. From a lastname, from the Middle English nickname for a fighter, or ‘kemp’. |
Ken | - | ⚥ | Living | - | cēne | - | A shortening of names starting with Ken. |
Kenelm | - | ♂ | Living | Cēnhelm | cēne | helm | |
Kenfous | Kenfuse | ♂ | Quickened | Cēnfūs | cēne | fūs | Borne by a 600s King of Wessex. |
Kenfrith | - | ♂ | Quickened | Cēnfriþ | cēne | friþ | |
Kenlof | - | ♂ | Quickened | Cēnlāf | cēne | lāf | |
Kennar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Cēnhere | cēne | here | |
Kennard | - | ♂ | Lastname | Cēnheard | cēne | heard , weard | |
Kenred | - | ♂ | Quickened | Cēnrǣd | cēne | rǣd | Died out in the Middle Ages, and was borrowed back from Germany in the 1800s as the name Conrad. Borne by a 700s King of Mercia and by a 700s King of Northumbria. |
Kenswith | - | ♀ | Quickened | Cēnswīþ | cēne | swīþ | |
Kent | - | ♂ | Living | - | - | - | Either a shortening of the name ‘Kenton’, or named straight for the historic English county of Kent, which came from a Brythonic word meaning ‘edge’. |
Kenthrith | - | ♀ | Quickened | Cēnþrȳþ | cēne | þrȳþ | |
Kenton | Kentun | ♂ | Lastname | - | cēne, cyne | tūn | From a lastname that comes from sundry forewords, such as keen, kingly, or the stream Kenn. |
Kenwald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Cēnweald | cēne | weald | |
Kenwel | - | ♂ | Quickened | Cēnwealh | cēne | wealh | Borne by a 600s King of Wessex. |
Kenwin | - | ⚥ | Quickened | Cēnwine ♂ , Cēnwynn ♀ | cēne | wine , wynn | |
Kenwolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Cēnwulf | cēne | wulf | Borne by a 700s King of Mercia. |
Kenyisel | - | ♂ | Quickened | Cēnġīsl | cēne | ġīsel | |
Kim | - | ⚥ | Living | - | cyne | - | Short for ‘Kimberley’. |
Kimbald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Cynebeald | cyne | beald | |
Kimber | - | ⚥ | Living | Cyneburg | cyne | burg | See also: Kimbury. |
Kimberley | - | ⚥ | Living | - | cyne | burg + lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Cyneburgaslēah’, meaning: Kimber’s lea (field). |
Kimbert | - | ♂ | Quickened | Cynebeorht | cyne | beorht | |
Kimbill | - | ♂ | Quickened | Cynebill | cyne | bill | |
Kimbury | - | ♀ | Quickened | Cyneburg | cyne | burg | See also: Kimber. |
Kinfrith | - | ♂ | Quickened | Cynefriþ | cyne | friþ | |
King | - | ♂ | Living | - | cyne | - | Mostly found in the United States, sometimes straight after the word of high standing, and sometimes after Black rights backer, Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968). |
Kingsley | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | cynning | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Cynningaslēah’. |
Kingston | Kingstun | ♂ | Lastname | - | cynning | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Cynningastūn’. |
Kingswell | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | cynning | wille | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Cynningaswille’. |
Kinleaf | - | ♀ | Quickened | Cynelēof | cyne | lēof | |
Kinmund | - | ♂ | Quickened | Cynemūnd | cyne | mūnd | |
Kinnard | - | ♂ | Quickened | Cyneheard | cyne | heard | |
Kinnild | - | ♀ | Quickened | Cynehild | cyne | hild | |
Kinred | - | ♂ | Quickened | Cynerǣd | cyne | rǣd | |
Kinrich | Kinric | ♂ | Quickened | Cynerīċ | cyne | rīċe | |
Kinsey | - | ⚥ | Lastname | Cynesiġe | cyne | siġe | |
Kinsley | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | cyne | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Cyneslēah’. |
Kinstan | - | ♂ | Quickened | Cynestān | cyne | stān | |
Kinthane | - | ♂ | Quickened | Cyneþeġn | cyne | þeġn | |
Kinwald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Cyneweald | cyne | weald | |
Kinwin | - | ⚥ | Quickened | Cynewine ♂ , Cynewynn ♀ | cyne | wine, wynn | |
Kinwolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Cynewulf | cyne | wulf | |
Kinyils | - | ♂ | Quickened | Cyneġīls | cyne | ġīsel | |
Knight | Knigt | ♂ | Lastname | Cniht | cniht | - | From either the lastname or straight from the everyday word. |
Knightley | Knigtley | ♂ | Lastname | - | cniht | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Cnihtlēah’. |
Kynaston | Kinastun | ♂ | Lastname | - | cyne | friþ + tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Cynefriþastūn’, meaning: Kinfrith’s town. |
Landon | Landun | ♂ | Lastname | - | lang | denu, dūn | Also spelled: Langdon (Anglish Spelling: Langdun). Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-names ‘Langdenu’, ‘Langdūn’. The latter bit could be from either OE denu (a den, dale) or dūn (a down, hill). |
Lane | - | ⚥ | Lastname | - | - | - | Not a given name in OE. From a lastname for someone who lived by a Lane. |
Langford | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | lang | ford | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Langford’. |
Langley | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | lang | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Langlēah’. |
Langston | Langstun | ♂ | Lastname | - | lang | stān | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Langstān’. |
Langworth | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | lang | worþ | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Langworþ’. |
Lark | - | ⚥ | Living | Lāwerce | - | - | Not a given name in OE. A latterday name, after the sweet-singing, early-rising bird. |
Layton | Laytun | ♂ | Lastname | - | lēac | tūn | Also spelled: Leighton (Anglish Spelling: Leytun). Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Lēactūn’, meaning: leek-town. |
Leaf | - | ⚥ | Living | Lēof ♀ , Lēofa ♂ | lēof | - | A blend of the everyday English word ‘leaf’ of a wort, and the Old English name ‘lēof’ (beloved), which is kin with the Norse name ‘Lief’/’Leif’, from ‘Leifr’, and which likely backed up the bearing of the word ‘Leaf’ as a name, which was a making of 1960s hippy tilth. |
Lechild | Lecild | ♂ | Quickened | Lēofċild | lēof | ċild | |
Ledbald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Lēodbeald | lēod | beald | Kin with the German name ‘Leopald’. |
Leddar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Lēodhere | lēod | here | Kin with the German name ‘Luther’. |
Ledfrith | - | ♂ | Quickened | Lēodfriþ | lēod | friþ | |
Ledwald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Lēodweald | lēod | weald | |
Ledwolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Lēodwulf | lēod | wulf | |
Lee | - | ⚥ | Lastname | - | lēah | - | Also spelled: Lea. As a woman’s name, often spelled: Leigh. Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Lēah’, meaning: lea (field). Borne by the American Confederate hartow Robert E. Lee (1807–1870). |
Lefled | - | ♀ | Quickened | Lēofflǣd | lēof | flǣd | |
Lefrich | Lefric | ♂ | Quickened | Lēofrīċe | lēof | rīċe | |
Lefrith | - | ♂ | Quickened | Lēoffriþ | lēof | friþ | |
Legar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Lēofgār | lēof | gār | |
Leland | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | lēah | land | Also spelled: Leyland. Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Lēahland’. |
Leman | - | ♂ | Living | Lēofmann | lēof | mann | Lives on as a lastname (also spelled ‘Lemmon’ (Anglish Spelling: ‘Lemmun’)), and in the English word ‘leman’, meaning: someone beloved. |
Lemer | - | ♂ | Quickened | Lēofmǣr | lēof | mǣr | |
Lenoth | - | ♂ | Quickened | Lēofnōþ | lēof | nōþ | |
Lequen | Lecwen | ♀ | Quickened | Lēofcwēn | lēof | cwēn | |
Leroun | Lerune | ♀ | Quickened | Lēofrūn | lēof | rūn | |
Lesey | - | ♂ | Quickened | Lēofsiġe | lēof | siġe | |
Leson | Lesun | ♂ | Quickened | Lēofsunu | lēof | sunu | |
Lestan | - | ♂ | Quickened | Lēofstān | lēof | stān | |
Leving | Lefing | ♂ | Quickened | Lēofing | lēof | ing | |
Leward | - | ♂ | Quickened | Lēofweard | lēof | weard | |
Lewer | - | ♀ | Quickened | Lēofwaru | lēof | waru | |
Lewin | - | ♂ | Living | Lēofwine | lēof | wine | |
Leyive | Leyife | ♀ | Quickened | Lēofġifu | lēof | ġifu | |
Lily | - | ♀ | Living | - | lilie | - | Not known to be a given name in Old English times. |
Linford | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | līn, lind, hlyn | ford | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-names ‘Līnford’, ‘Lindford’, or ‘Hlynford’. |
Linton | Lintun | ♂ | Lastname | - | līn, lind | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-names ‘Līntūn’ or ‘Lindtūn’. |
Livingston | Lifingstun | ♂ | Lastname | - | lēof | wine + tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Lēofwinestūn’, meaning: Lewin’s town. |
Lothar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Hlōþhere | hlōþ | here | Kin with the living mainland name of alike shape. |
Love | Luf | ♀ | Living | Lufu | lufu | - | From the everyday word. Borne as a given name since OE times. A puritanical Christian name. |
Luddar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Hlūdhere | hlūd | here | |
Ludlum | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | hlūd | lǣw + hām | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Hlūdhlǣwhām’, meaning: Ludlow’s home. |
Ludwy | - | ♂ | Unfounded | *Hlūdwīġe | hlūd | wīġe | Not found in OE. A name which would be kin with the names Alois, Clovis, Lewis, Louis, Louise and Ludwig. |
Lyndon | Lindun | ♂ | Lastname | - | lind | dūn | Also spelled: ‘Lindon’. Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Linddūn’. |
Mainar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Mæġenhere | mæġen | here | |
Mainard | - | ♂ | Lastname | Mæġenheard | mæġen | heard | The last name is likely from the Anglo-Norman ‘Mainard’, though the OE shape, ‘Mæġenheard’, would likely yield alike outcome, even if it had died out. |
Manfrith | - | ♂ | Quickened | Mannfriþ | mann | friþ | Kin with the German name ‘Manfred’. |
Manley | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | mann | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Mannlēah’, meaning: men’s lea; lea of the folk. |
Marley | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | mǣre, miriġe, mearþ | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From a blend of lastnames of sundry springs, ‘Mǣrelēah’, ‘Miriġelēah’, ‘Mearþlēah. Borne by Jamaican singer Bob Marley (1945–1981). |
Marsh | Marsc | ♂ | Lastname | - | merṡċ | - | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Merṡċ’, meaning: marsh. |
Marston | Marstun | ♂ | Lastname | - | merṡċ | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Merṡċtūn’. |
Marwood | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | mere | wudu | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Merewudu’. |
Mathellard | - | ♂ | Quickened | Mæþelheard | mæþel | heard | |
Melbourne | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | mylen | burne | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Mylenburne’. Most often named for the head stead in the Australian rich of Victoria. See also: Milburn. |
Merrard | - | ♂ | Quickened | Mǣrheard | mǣr | heard | |
Merry | - | ⚥ | Living | - | miriġe | - | As an Anglish name, from the everyday word. |
Merryweather | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | miriġe | weþer | From a lastname which first began as a nickname in Middle English, meaning merry, good, or fair weather. |
Mershalk | Merscalk | ♂ | Unfounded | - | mere [2] | ṡċealc | Not found in OE. A name which would be kin with the Norman name ‘Marshall’, a word of standing which first meant: ‘horse-carer’. |
Merton | Mertun | ♂ | Lastname | - | mere | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Meretūn’. |
Merwel | - | ♂ | Quickened | Merewealh | mere | wealh | |
Merwhite | Merhwite | ♂ | Quickened | Merehwīt | mere | hwīt | |
Merwin | - | ♀ | Quickened | Merewynn | mere | wynn | |
Merwy | - | ♂ | Unfounded | *Mǣrwīġe | mǣr | wīġe | Not found in OE. A name which would be kin with ‘Merovech’, king of the Salian Franks in the 400s and starter of the Merovingian House. |
Middleton | Middeltun | ♂ | Lastname | - | middel | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Middeltūn’. |
Milburn | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | mylen | burne | See : Melbourne. |
Mildred | - | ♀ | Living | Mildþrȳþ | mild | þrȳþ | Could also be spelled: Mildrith |
Milford | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | mylen | ford | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Mylenford’. |
Millard | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | mylen | weard | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Mylenweard’. |
Miller | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | mylen | - | Not a given name in OE. From the working name for someone who runs a mill. |
Milton | Miltun | ♂ | Lastname | - | mylen | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Mylentūn’. |
Misty | - | ♀ | Living | - | - | - | Not a given name in OE. A latterday name, from the word ‘misty’, from OE ‘mistiġ’. |
Mittild | - | ♀ | Unfounded | *Mihthild | miht | hild | Not found in OE. A name which would be kin with the Norman name ‘Matilda’. |
Modwulf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Mōdwulf | mōd | wulf | |
Monday | - | ♀ | Living | Monandæġ | mōna | dæġ | A given name since at least Old English times. From the everyday word for the day of the week, named for the god and heavenly body, ‘Moon’ (Interpretatio Roman from ‘Luna’). Given to children born on the day. |
Morcar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Mōrcār | mōr | cār | |
Morland | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | mōr | land | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Mōrland’. |
Morley | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | mōr | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Mōrlēah’. |
Morton | Mortun | ♂ | Lastname | - | mōr | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Mōrtūn’. |
Mycroft | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | mǣd | croft | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Mǣdcroft’. From a shape of the lastname ‘Medcroft’, where the -d was lost. Borne by the player Mycroft in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's tales, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. |
Nash | Nasc | ♂ | Lastname | - | æt | æṡċ | Not a given name in OE. From a lastname for someone who lived ‘at the ash-tree’. The ‘n’ from the saying ‘atten ash’, in way like the words ‘newt’ (an ewt) and ‘nickname’ (an ekename) came about. |
Ned | - | ♂ | Living | - | ēad | - | Made from misreading of the last as the start of the next word in sayings like, ‘mine ed’, where ‘Ed’ is short for names like ‘Edward’. (Like the words: ‘nickname’, from ‘an ekename’; and ‘newt’, from ‘an ewt’.) |
Newcombe | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | nēowe | cume | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Nēowecume’. |
Newland | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | nēowe | land | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Nēoweland’. |
Newman | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | nēowe | mann | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Nēowemann’. |
Newport | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | nēowe | port | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Nēoweport’. |
Newton | Newtun | ♂ | Lastname | - | nēowe | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Nēowetūn’. Borne by English mathematician and physicist, Sir Isaac Newton (1642–1727). |
Nithad | - | ♂ | Quickened | Nīþhād | nīþ | hād | A cruel king in Germanic folklore. |
Nithard | - | ♂ | Quickened | Nīþheard | nīþ | heard | |
Nithmund | - | ♂ | Quickened | Nīþmūnd | nīþ | mūnd | |
Norbert | - | ♂ | Living | Norþbeorht | norþ | beorht | A blend of the inborn Old English name, and the Norman Frankish name. Borne by a Holyman of Xanten, Germany in the 1000s. |
Norman | - | ♂ | Living | Norþmann | norþ | mann | A name borne in Old English and backed up by the Normans of Normandy following the overthrow of 1066. The name itself, straightforwardly: north-man, wises to someone being of the north, often meaning ‘viking’, or of the Nordic or Scandinavian lands. |
Northrop | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | norþ | þorp | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Norþþorp’, with a metathesis of ‘thorp’ to ‘throp’. |
Norton | Nortun | ♂ | Lastname | - | norþ | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Norþtun’. Borne by Joshua Abraham Norton (1818-1880), self-said to be ‘Emperor of the United States’. |
Norwood | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | norþ | wudu | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Norwudu’. |
Nothar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Nōþhere | nōþ | here | |
Nothard | - | ♂ | Quickened | Nōþheard | nōþ | heard | |
Nothbald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Nōþbeald | nōþ | beald | |
Nothbert | - | ♂ | Quickened | Nōþbeorht | nōþ | beorht | |
Nothelm | - | ♂ | Quickened | Nōþhelm | nōþ | helm | Borne by a 600s King of Sussex. |
Nothith | - | ♀ | Quickened | Nōþgȳþ | nōþ | gȳþ | |
Nothmund | - | ♂ | Quickened | Nōþmūnd | nōþ | mūnd | |
Nothwolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Nōþwulf | nōþ | wulf | |
Oak | - | ♂ | Living | Āca | āc | - | From the everyday word for the tree. Found as a given name since at least Old English times. Kin with the German name ‘Eich’, and Norse wifely name ‘Eik’. (The name ‘Ike’, is only tied by likeness, coming either from ‘Isaac’, or else, the American leader, Dwight ‘Ike’ Eisenhauer, whose nickname comes from a shortening of his German last name, ‘Eisenhauer’.) |
Oakley | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | āc | lēah | Also spelled: Ackley. Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Āclēah’. |
Odell | - | ⚥ | Lastname | - | wād | hyll | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Wādhyll’. |
Ogden | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | āc | denu | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Ācdenu’. |
Onel | - | ♂ | Quickened | Onela | - | - | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onela |
Onyenthew | - | ♂ | Quickened | Anġenþēow | anġen | þēow | |
Ordbert | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ordbeorht | ord | beorht | |
Ordfrith | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ordfriþ | ord | friþ | |
Ordgar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ordgār | ord | gār | |
Ordhelm | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ordhelm | ord | helm | |
Ordhey | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ordhēah | ord | hēah | |
Ordlof | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ordlāf | ord | lāf | |
Ordmer | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ordmǣr | ord | mǣr | |
Ordnoth | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ordnōþ | ord | nōþ | |
Ordrich | Ordric | ♂ | Quickened | Ordrīċ | ord | rīċe | |
Ordwald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ordweald | ord | weald | |
Ordwolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ordwulf | ord | wulf | |
Osbald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ōsbeald | ōs | beald | Borne by a 700s King of Northumbria. |
Osbert | - | ♂ | Living | Ōsbeorht | ōs | beorht | |
Osborn | - | ♂ | Living | Ōsbeorn | ōs | beorn | |
Osbury | - | ♀ | Quickened | Ōsburg | ōs | burg | |
Osfrith | - | ⚥ | Quickened | Ōsfriþ | ōs | friþ | Kin with the Old Norse name ‘Astrid’. |
Osgar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ōsgār | ōs | gār | While the living name Oscar may come from the Old English name ‘Ōsgār’, it's more likely that it instead comes from the Irish name ‘Oscair’, making it untied to the Old English name, which looks to have died out. |
Osgood | - | ♂ | Lastname | Ōsgōd | ōs | gōd | |
Oslock | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ōslāc | ōs | lāc | Borne by a 700s King of Sussex. |
Oslof | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ōslāf | ōs | lāf | |
Osmer | - | ♂ | Lastname | Ōsmǣr | ōs | mǣr | |
Osmood | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ōsmōd | ōs | mōd | |
Osmund | - | ♂ | Living | Ōsmūnd | ōs | mūnd | Also found by the Norman-spelling of ‘Osmond’. Borne by a holyman who was put to the See of Salisbury by William of Normandy, following the overthrow of England in 1066. Like many Old English names, it mostly died out and was brought back to life in the 1800s. |
Osred | - | ♂ | Living | Ōsrǣd | ōs | rǣd | Borne by two 700s kings of Northumbria. Died out following the Norman overthrow. Brought back in the 1900s. |
Osrich | Osric | ♂ | Quickened | Ōsrīċ | ōs | rīċe | Borne by a 600s King of Deira, by a 700s King of Northumbria and by a 700s King of Sussex. |
Osselm | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ōshelm | ōs | helm | Kin with the Norse name Ansel, or Anselm, which was borne by the photographer Ansel Easton Adams (1902-1984). |
Osser | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ōshere | ōs | here | |
Osthrith | - | ♀ | Quickened | Ōsþrȳþ | ōs | þrȳþ | |
Oswald | - | ♂ | Living | Ōswald | ōs | weald | Borne by the 600s King of Northumbria who fought against Penda Pybbing (the last great heathen king of mainland England) who was throed in death. Also borne by a 900s bishop who was beloved for his works at edhewing the church. The name died out in the aftermath of Norman lordship, and was brought back to life in the 1800s. |
Osward | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ōsweard | ōs | weard | |
Oswin | - | ♂ | Living | Ōswine | ōs | wine | Borne by a 600s King of Northumbria (kin to Oswald of Northumbria) who was also hallowed as a throer. The name died out about the 1400s and was brought back in the 1800s. |
Oswolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ōswulf | ōs | wulf | |
Oswood | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ōswudu | ōs | wudu | |
Oswy | - | ♂ | Living | Ōswīġ | ōs | wīġ | |
Ottar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ōhtere | ōht | here | |
Outferth | Ugtferth | ♂ | Quickened | Ūhtferhþ | ūht | ferhþ | |
Outred | Ugtred | ♂ | Lastname | Ūhtrǣd | ūt | rǣd | Also spelled: Oughtred. |
Oz | Os | ♂ | Living | Ōsa | ōs | - | A shortening of names such as ‘Oswald’ or ‘Oswin’. |
Ozzy | Osy | ♂ | Living | Ōsa | ōs | - | Also spelled: Ozzie. A shortening of names such as ‘Oswald’ or ‘Oswin’. |
Paxton | Paxtun | ⚥ | Lastname | - | *Pælloc or *Pæcc | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From a lastname for someone from Paston, Northumberland likely named for someone named *Pælloc, as *Pælllocestūn; or from Paxton, Cambridgeshire, likely named for someone named *Pæcc, as Pæccestūn, or from OE Pearroctūn (paddock-town). |
Payton | Paytun | ♂ | Lastname | - | Pǣġa | tūn | Also spelled: Peyton (Anglish Spelling: Peytun). Not a given name in OE. From a lastname for someone from Peyton, Sussex. The town was likely named for someone named Pǣġa, as *Pǣġestūn. Spread by the book and show, ‘Payton Place’. |
Pelham | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | *Pælloc | hām | Not a given name in OE. Maybe from OE ‘Pællloceshām’. |
Pendleton | Pendeltun | ♂ | Lastname | - | pinn | dæl + tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Pinndæltūn’. |
Penley | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | pinn | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Pinnlēah’. |
Penn | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | pinn | - | Not a given name in OE. From a lastname from Old English ‘Pinn’, which can mean either a headland, or livestock pen. Borne by William Penn (1644–1718), starter of Pennsylvania. |
Pillard | - | ♂ | Quickened | Pīlheard | pīl | heard | |
Piper | - | ♀ | Lastname | - | - | - | Not a given name in OE. From a lastname for someone who plays the pipe. |
Pitt | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | - | - | Not a given name in OE. From a lastname for someone who lived by a pit in the ground. |
Playard | - | ♂ | Quickened | Pleġheard | plēg | heard | |
Playbert | - | ♂ | Quickened | Pleġbeorht | plēg | beorht | |
Playmund | - | ♂ | Quickened | Pleġmūnd | plēg | mūnd | |
Playred | - | ♂ | Quickened | Pleġrǣd | plēg | rǣd | |
Playwin | - | ♂ | Quickened | Pleġwine | plēg | wine | |
Poppy | - | ♀ | Living | *Popiġ | - | - | Not known as a given name in Old English times. From the name of the blossom. |
Portland | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | port | land | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Portland’. Often named after any of the widely-known steads, such as Portland, Oregon; Portland, Maine; or Portland, England. |
Potter | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | - | - | Not known as a given name in Old English times. From a lastname of someone who made pots for a living. Borne by Arnold Potter (1804-1872), self-said to be ‘Son of the living God’. |
Prescott | Preskot | ♂ | Lastname | - | prēost | cote | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Prēostcot’. |
Presley | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | prēost | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Prēostlēah’, meaning: priest lea (field). Often named after the rock and roll singer, Elvis Presley (1935-1977). |
Preston | Prestun | ♂ | Lastname | - | prēost | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Prēosttūn’. |
Queen | Cween | ♀ | Living | Cwēn | cwēn | - | In Old English times, queen was a word that meant any woman, only only the king's wife. |
Queenie | Cweeny | ♀ | Living | Cwēn | cwēn | - | Spread in the time of, and named after, Queen Victoria. |
Quenbury | Cwenbury | ♀ | Quickened | Cwēnburg | cwēn | burg | |
Quenith | Cwenith | ♀ | Quickened | Cwēngȳþ | cwēn | gȳþ | |
Quenthrith | Cwenthrith | ♀ | Quickened | Cwēnþrȳþ | cwēn | þrȳþ | |
Quickhelm | Cwickhelm | ♂ | Quickened | Cwichelm | cwic | helm | |
Quickwin | Cwickwin | ♂ | Quickened | Cwicwine | cwic | wine | |
Quinton | Cwentun | ♂ | Lastname | - | cwēn | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Cwēntūn’. Shaped by, but not wordlorely tied to the French name ‘Quentin’, which instead comes from Latin ‘Quintinus’, meaning 'fifth born child'. |
Radburn | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | rēad | burne | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Rēadburne’. |
Radcliff | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | rēad | cliff | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Rēadcliff’. |
Radford | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | rēad | ford | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Rēadford’. |
Radley | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | rēad | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Rēadlēah’. |
Rainar | - | ♂ | Living | Reġenhere | reġen | here | Blended with the Norman name ‘Reiner’ / ‘Reyner’, and kin with the Norse name ‘Ragnar’. |
Rainard | - | ♂ | Quickened | Reġenheard | reġen | heard | Kin with the Norman name ‘Raynard’ and German ‘Reinhard’. |
Rainbow | - | ⚥ | Living | - | reġn | boga | Not known as a given name in Old English times. A name that sprung out of the hippy tilth of the 1960s. |
Raingar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Reġengār | reġen | gār | |
Rainhold | - | ♂ | Quickened | Reġenhold | reġen | hold | |
Rainmund | - | ♂ | Quickened | Reġenmūnd | reġen | mūnd | Kin with the Norman name ‘Raymond’. |
Rainwald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Reġenweald | reġen | weald | Kin with the Norman name ‘Reginald’, and Norse ‘Ronald’. |
Rainward | - | ♂ | Quickened | Reġenweard | reġen | weard | |
Raleigh | Raley | ♂ | Lastname | - | rā | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Rālēah’. Often named after the writer and wanderer Sir Walter Raleigh (1552-1618). |
Ramsden | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | ramm | denu | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Rammsdenu’. |
Ramsey | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | hramsan | īeġ | Also spelled: Ramsay. Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Hramsīeġ’. Borne by head cook and TV star Gordon Ramsay (1966). |
Randwolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Randwulf | rand | wulf | Kin with the names ‘Randall’ and ‘Randolph’, first brought to England by Norse settlers and later backed up by Normans. |
Raven | Rafen | ⚥ | Living | *Hræfn | hræfn | - | A name that is made from the OE word for raven, but may not have been a given name in Old English times. |
Read | - | ♂ | Lastname | *Rēad | - | - | Spelled as ‘Reid’ in Scotland. A name that is made from the OE word for red, but may not have been a given name in Old English times. Likely as a nickname for someone with red hair. |
Reddar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Rǣdhere | rǣd | here | |
Redfrith | - | ♂ | Quickened | Rǣdfriþ | rǣd | friþ | |
Rednoth | - | ♂ | Quickened | Rǣdnōþ | rǣd | nōþ | |
Redrich | Redric | ♂ | Quickened | Rǣdrīċ | rǣd | rīċe | |
Redwald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Rǣdweald | rǣd | weald | |
Redwin | - | ♂ | Quickened | Rǣdwine | rǣd | wine | |
Redwolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Rǣdwulf | rǣd | wulf | Kin with the Norse name ‘Ralph’, and the Norman ‘Raoul’. |
Rich | Ric | ♂ | Living | Rīċ | rīċe | - | Either a shortening of names like ‘Richard’, or as a standalone name, from the English word meaning ‘wealthy’. Kin with the name ‘Rick’. |
Richard | Ricard | ♂ | Living | Rīċheard | rīċe | heard | A name spread widely by the Normans, but which would have blended with its seldom-borne, Old English match. |
Richbert | Ricbert | ♂ | Quickened | Rīċbeorht | rīċe | beorht | |
Richie | Ricy | ♂ | Living | Rīċa | rīċe | - | A shortening of names like ‘Richard’. Kin with the name ‘rick’. |
Richmond | Ricmund | ♂ | Living | Rīċmūnd | rīċe | mūnd | A seldom-borne name in Old English. Spread in English by the Normans. |
Richsey | Ricsey | ♂ | Quickened | Rīċsiġe | rīċe | siġe | Borne by an 800s King of Northumbria. |
Ridgebur | Ricgbor | ♂ | Unfounded | - | hryċġ | būr | Not found in OE. A name which would be kin with ‘Rigby’, which comes from Old Norse. In OE it would be: *Hryċġbūr. |
Ridgeley | Ricgley | ♂ | Lastname | - | hryċġ | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Hryċġlēah’. |
Ridgeway | Ricgway | ♂ | Lastname | - | hryċġ | weġ | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Hryċġweġ’. |
Ridley | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | hrēod | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Hrēodlēah’. |
Riley | - | ⚥ | Lastname | - | ryġe | lēah | Also spelled: Ryley. Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Ryġelēah’. Not tied to the Irish name ‘Reilley’, which comes instead from from Gaelic ‘Raghallach’. |
Rodney | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | hrōþ | īeġ | Not a given name in OE. Borne by British admiral Lord Rodney (1719-1792). Its etymology is not sound. Said by Coats and others in The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland to likely be from Old English ‘Hrōþasīeġ’. |
Roman | - | ♂ | Living | Rōmān | - | - | Someone from Rome. |
Rose | - | ♀ | Living | - | rōse | - | A name borne through Middle English but not known to be a given name in Old English times. It may have started in English as a shape of the nickname ‘horse’, from Old Norse ‘hross’. |
Rosefield | Rosefeeld | ♂ | Unfounded | *Rōsefeld | rōse | feld | Not found in OE. A name which would be kin with ‘Roosevelt’, which is a Netherlandish lastname spread in the English-speaking world by the American leaders. |
Rothbert | - | ♂ | Quickened | Hrōþbeorht | hrōþ | beorht | Kin with the Norman name ‘Robert’, and German name ‘Rupert’. |
Rothgar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Hrōþgār | hrōþ | gār | Kin with the Norman name ‘Roger’. See also: Hrothgar. |
Rothland | - | ♂ | Unfounded | *Hrōþland | hrōþ | land | Kin with the Norman name ‘Roland’, and the Italian name ‘Orlando’. |
Rothmund | - | ♂ | Quickened | Hrōþmūnd | hrōþ | mūnd | |
Rothrich | Rothric | ♂ | Quickened | Hrōþrīċ | hrōþ | rīċ | Kin with the Norman name ‘Roderick’. |
Rothschild | Rothscild | ♂ | Unfounded | *Hrōþesċild | hrōþ | ċild | Not found in OE. Crafty wordplay by likeness to the name ‘Rothschild’, with which it’s not kin, and is rather a German lastname meaning ‘red-shield’. |
Rothwer | - | ♀ | Quickened | Hrōþwaru | hrōþ | waru | |
Rothwin | - | ⚥ | Quickened | Hrōþwine , Hrōþwynn | hrōþ | wynn | As a woman’s name, it may be tied to the Latinised name Rowena, as written by Sir Walter Scott in the book Ivanhoe (1819). |
Rothwolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Hrōþwulf | hrōþ | wulf | Kin with the Norman names ‘Rolph’ (or ‘Rolf’), ‘Ralph’, ‘Rafe’; ‘Roul’, Latinised as ‘Rollo’; and the German name ‘Rudolph’ (or ‘Rudolf’). |
Rowley | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | rūh | lēah | Not a given name in OE. Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Rūhlēah’, meaning: rough lea (field). |
Rudyard | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | rud | ġeard | Not a given name in OE. Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Rudġeard’, meaning: ruddy yard. |
Rusty | - | ⚥ | Living | - | - | - | Not a given name in OE. A latterday name, from the word ‘rusty’, from OE ‘rūstiġ’, for someone with red hair. For likeness of meaning, see the name ‘Read’. |
Rutherford | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | hrȳþer | ford | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Hrȳþerford’. Borne by Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th leader of the United States. |
Rycroft | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | ryġe | croft | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Ryġecroft’. |
Ryland | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | ryġe | land | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Ryġeland’. |
Samwise | - | ♂ | Living | *Sāmwīs | sām | wīs | Not found as a name in OE, only as the adjective, ‘sām-wise’, meaning half-wise, or dull. J. R. R. Tolkien quickened the name for Samwise Gamgee, the dull grover, in ‘The Lord of the Rings’. |
Sandford | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | sand | ford | Also spelled: Sanford. Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Sandford’. |
Sandy | - | ⚥ | Living | - | sand | - | Not known as a given name in Old English times. As an Anglish name, it’s for someone with sandy-hued hair. Found in English as a shortening of Alexander/Alexandria. |
Saturday | - | ⚥ | Living | - | - | dæġ | Not found as a name in OE. From the everyday word for the day of the week, named for the god and heavenly body, Saturn, borrowed into early Old English from Latin. |
Saxbold | - | ♂ | Quickened | Seaxbeald | seax | beald | |
Saxbury | - | ♀ | Quickened | Seaxburg | seax | burg | |
Saxhelm | - | ♂ | Quickened | Seaxhelm | seax | helm | |
Saxred | - | ♂ | Quickened | Seaxrǣd | seax | rǣd | Borne by a 600s King of Essex. |
Saxwolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Seaxwulf | seax | wulf | |
Scott | Skot | ♂ | Living | Scot | - | - | Mostly borne nowadays from the lastname, which came from the nickname or given name for someone from Scotland. |
Seabert | - | ♂ | Lastname | Sǣbeorht | sǣ | beorht | |
Seaborne | - | ⚥ | Living | - | sǣ | - | Not a given name in OE. A puritanical Christian name, from the everyday English word. |
Seabrook | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | sǣ | brōc | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Sǣbrōc’. |
Seabury | - | ⚥ | Lastname | Sǣburg | sǣ | burg | The -bury ending would make this a woman's name in Old English times, but it is now more likely found to be found as a man's name, coming from the living Lastname. |
Seafled | - | ♀ | Quickened | Sǣflǣd | sǣ | flǣd | |
Seafrith | - | ♂ | Quickened | Sǣfriþ | sǣ | friþ | |
Seaman | - | ♂ | Lastname | Sǣmann | sǣ | mann | |
Seathrith | - | ♀ | Quickened | Sǣþrȳþ | sǣ | þrȳþ | |
Seaton | Seatun | ♂ | Lastname | - | sǣ | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Sǣtūn’, meaning: sea town. |
Selbur | - | ♂ | Unfounded | *Sealhbūr | sealh | būr | Not found in OE. A name which would be kin with ‘Selby’ and ‘Shelby’, which come from Old Norse. |
Selbury | - | ♀ | Quickened | Seleburg | sele | burg | |
Seldon | Seldun | ♂ | Lastname | - | sealh | denu, dūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-names ‘Sealhdenu’, ‘Sealhdūn’. The latter bit could be from either OE denu (a den, dale) or dūn (a down, hill). |
Sellard | - | ♂ | Quickened | Seleheard | sele | heard | |
Selred | - | ♂ | Quickened | Selerǣd | sele | rǣd | Borne by a 700s King of Essex. |
Selthrith | - | ♀ | Quickened | Seleþrȳþ | sele | þrȳþ | |
Selwy | - | ♂ | Quickened | Selewīġe | sele | wīġe | The lastname ‘Selway’ is said by Coats and Others in The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland to be from the likewise OE name, though they write it as unfounded spelling ‘Sælwīġ’. |
Selwyn | - | ⚥ | Lastname | Selewine, Seolhwine | sele , seolh | wine | Also spelled: Selwin. The lastname ‘Selwyn’ may sometimes come from OE 'Seolhwine' (seal-friend), or from ‘Selewine’ (house-friend). As an English lastname, it sometimes comes from the Norman given name Selvein, from Latin Silvanus (woodsman, wildman). |
Seward | - | ♂ | Lastname | Siġeweard | siġe | weard | Sometimes shortened to ‘Sword’ as a Lastname. Kin with the Norse name ‘Sigurd’. |
Sewell | - | ♂ | Lastname | Siġeweald | siġe | weald | |
Sewin | - | ♂ | Quickened | Siġewine | siġe | wine | |
Sewolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Siġewulf | siġe | wulf | |
Seyar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Siġehere | siġe | here | See also: Siggar. |
Seyard | - | ♂ | Quickened | Siġeheard | siġe | heard | |
Shaftar | Scaftar | ♂ | Quickened | Ṡċeafthere | ṡċeaft | here | |
Shaftwin | Scaftwin | ♂ | Quickened | Ṡċeaftwine | ṡċeaft | wine | |
Sheldon | Sceldun | ♂ | Lastname | - | ṡċylf | denu, dūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-names ‘Ṡċylfdenu’, ‘Ṡċylfdūn’. The latter bit could be from either OE denu (a den, dale) or dūn (a down, hill). Borne by a player in the 2000s American TV show ‘The Big Bang Theory’ and its spinoff show ‘Young Sheldon’. |
Shell | Scell | ⚥ | Lastname | - | ṡċylf | - | A shortening of names such as: Shelley, Sheldon. |
Shelley | Scelley | ⚥ | Lastname | - | ṡċylf | lēah | Also spelled: Shelly. Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Ṡċylflēah’. Not wordlorely tied with the Irish name ‘Shelley’, which is from Irish Gaelic ‘Sealbhaigh’. |
Shelton | Sceltun | ♂ | Lastname | - | ṡċylf | denu, dūn, tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-names ‘Ṡċylfltūn’, ‘Ṡċylflden’, or ‘Ṡċylfldūn’. |
Shepherd | Scepherd | ♂ | Lastname | - | ṡċēap | hierde | Not a given name in OE. From the OE working name, ‘Ṡċēaphierda’, meaning: a sheep-herder, shepherd. |
Shepley | Scepley | ♂ | Lastname | - | ṡċēap | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Ṡċēaplēah’. |
Sherbald | Scerbald | ♂ | Quickened | Ṡċīrbeald | ṡċīr | beald | |
Sherburn | Scerburn | ♂ | Lastname | - | ṡċīr | burne | Also spelled: Sherborn[e] (Anglish Spelling: Scerborn). Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Ṡċīrburne’. |
Sherlock | Scerlock | ♂ | Lastname | - | ṡċīr | locc | Spread by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. From OE ‘Ṡċīrlocc’, meaning: sheer locks (hair); a nickname for someone with sheer, fair hair. |
Sherman | Scerman | ♂ | Lastname | - | ṡċeran | mann | Not a given name in OE. From the OE working name ‘Ṡċermann’, meaning: someone who would shear (cut) thread, like woven wool. |
Sherrard | Scerrard | ♂ | Lastname | Ṡċīrheard | ṡċīr | heard | |
Sheriff | Sceriff | ♂ | Lastname | Ṡċīrheard | ṡċīr | rēfa | Not a given name in OE. From a lastname that began as an work-name for a sheriff (a shire-reeve). |
Sherwald | Scerwald | ♂ | Quickened | Ṡċīrweald | ṡċīr | weald | |
Sherwood | Scerwood | ♂ | Lastname | - | ṡċīr | wudu | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Ṡċīrwudu’. Spread by the Sherwood found in the English tale of Robin Hood. |
Shirley | Scirley | ⚥ | Lastname | - | ṡċīr | lēah | Also spelled: Sherley (Anglish Spelling: Scerley). Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Ṡċīrlēah’. |
Sibbald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Siġebeald | siġe | beald | |
Sibbert | - | ♂ | Quickened | Siġebeorht | siġe | beorht | Borne by a 600s King of East Anglia, two 600s kings of Essex and by an 700s King of Wessex. |
Sibbery | - | ⚥ | Lastname | Siġeburg | siġe | burg | The -bury ending would make this a woman's name in Old English times, but it is now more likely found to be found as a man's name, coming from the living Lastname. |
Sidman | - | ♂ | Quickened | Sīdemann | sīde | mann | |
Sidney | - | ⚥ | Lastname | - | sīde | īeg | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Sīdenīeġ’. Often spelled ‘Sidney’ for boys and ‘Sydney’ for girls. Often shortened to ‘Sid’. The head stead in the Australian rich of New South Wales. Otherwise, not as an Anglish name, sometimes comes from the name for the French town of Saint Denis, or from the Biblical ‘Sidon’, or a sundry of ‘Sindy’, from ‘Cindy’. |
Sifled | - | ♀ | Quickened | Siġeflǣd | siġe | flǣd | Also found as the lastname ‘Sifleet’. |
Sifrith | - | ♂ | Quickened | Siġefriþ | siġe | friþ | Kin with the German name ‘Siegfried’. |
Sigger | - | ♂ | Lastname | Siġegār, Siġehere | siġe | gār, here | A blend of the Old English names ‘Siġegār’ and ‘Siġehere’, and could sometimes come from the standalone Old Norse name ‘Sigar’, kin with Old English ‘siġe’. See also: Seyar. |
Sillock | - | ♂ | Quickened | Siġelāc | siġe | lāc | Also spelled: Sillick. Not known as a living given name. Shaped after the living lastname which comes from the likewise Old English given name. |
Silver | Silfer | ⚥ | Living | - | - | - | Not known as a given name in Old English times. Often named for fair-haired children. For likeness of meaning, see also: Sherlock. |
Simmer | - | ♂ | Quickened | Siġemǣr | siġe | mǣr | |
Simmund | - | ♂ | Quickened | Siġemūnd | siġe | mūnd | Kin with the German name ‘Siegmund’. |
Sinnoth | - | ♂ | Quickened | Siġenōþ | siġe | nōþ | Also found as the living Lastname ‘Sinnott’. |
Sirred | - | ♂ | Quickened | Siġerǣd | siġe | rǣd | |
Sirrich | Sirric | ♂ | Quickened | Siġerīċe | siġe | rīċe | |
Smedley | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | smēþe | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Smēþelēah’. |
Snowden | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | snāw | denu, dūn | Also spelled: Snowdon (Anglish Spelling: Snowdun). Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-names ‘Snāwdēnu’ and ‘Snāwdūn’. The latter bit could be from either OE denu (a den, dale) or dūn (a down, hill). Borne by American political dissident Edward Snowden. |
Somerset | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | sumor | tūn + sǣte | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Sumertūnsǣte’, meaning: Somerset County, England, which was named for those seated or settled about Somerton (Summer-town). |
Somerton | Somertun | ♂ | Lastname | - | sumor | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Sumertūn’, meaning: Somerton, in Somerset County, England. Said in Robin Bush's 1994 book, Somerset: The Complete Guide, the town of Somerton was likely named after what was once a Summer grazing land for livestock, which would flood in the colder months of the year. |
Southwell | Suthwell | ♂ | Lastname | - | sūþ | wille | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Sūþwille’, meaning: someone who lived near a well at the southern end of a town; or south of a town's main well. |
Stafford | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | stæf, stede | ford | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-names ‘Stæfford’ and ‘Stedeford’. The first deal of the name could be from either ‘stæf’, meaning a staff (pole) that marked where to ford a stream; or it could be from ‘stede’, a meaning a stead (town) where folks would ford a stream. |
Stan | - | ♂ | Lastname | Stān | stān | - | A shortening of bind-names such as ‘Stanley’ and ‘Stanton’. See also: Stone. |
Standish | Standisc | ♂ | Lastname | - | stān | ediṡċ | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Stānediṡċ’, meaning: stony eddish (a meadow, grass for feeding livestock). Borne by the Pilgrim fighter and leader Myles Standish (1580s—1656). |
Stanford | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | stān | ford | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Stānford’. |
Stanley | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | stān | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Stānlēah’. |
Stannand | - | ♂ | Quickened | Stānhand | stān | hand | |
Stanton | Stantun | ♂ | Lastname | - | stān | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Stāntūn’. |
Star | - | ⚥ | Living | Steorra | - | - | As an Anglish name, from the everyday word. Otherwise, as a shortening of ‘Stella’. |
Steadman | - | ♂ | Lastname | Stedemann | stede | mann | |
Steel | - | ♂ | Living | - | - | - | From the everyday word for the hardened metal. Sometimes from the English lastname, from the likewise word. From OE ‘stēle’. |
Stewart | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | stī | weard | Not a given name in OE. From the OE working-name ‘Stiġweard’, meaning: sty (house) ward. The ‘Stewart’ spelling is more widespread as a lastname. Often shorted to ‘Stu’ as a given name. The spelling ‘Stuart’ is French, first made widespread in the 1500s, by Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, who was reared in France. Borne by the House of Stewart/Stuart, which lead Scotland from 1371 to 1567, and then the United Kingdom from 1567 to 1714. |
Stockley | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | stocc | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Stocclēah’. |
Stockton | Stocktun | ♂ | Lastname | - | stocc | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Stocctūn’. |
Stockwell | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | stocc | wille | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Stoccwille’. |
Stone | - | ♂ | Living | Stān | stān | - | Most often from the stow-name, ‘Stone’, named for someone who lived on stony land. Sometimes named straight for the word ‘stone’, as a token of strength and steadfastness. See also: Stan. |
Storm | - | ⚥ | Living | - | storm | - | Seems to first become a given name in the 1900s. Not known to be a given name in Old English times. |
Stratford | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | strǣt | ford | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Strǣtford’. |
Strickland | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | stirc | land | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Stircland’. From a lastname that has a metathesis of ‘stirk-’ (a bullock) to ‘strick-’. |
Suffield | Suffeeld | ♂ | Lastname | - | sūþ | feld | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Sūþfeld’. |
Suffolk | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | sūþ | folc | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Sūþfolc’. |
Summer | - | ♀ | Living | Sumar | sumer | - | From the everyday word for the time of year. |
Summerlider | - | ♂ | Quickened | Sumerlida | sumer | lid | |
Sunday | - | ♀ | Living | Sunnandæġ | sunne | dæġ | Not found as a name in OE. From the everyday word for the day of the week, named for the god and heavenly body, ‘Sun’ (Interpretatio Roman from ‘Sol’). Given to children born on the day. |
Sunny | - | ♀ | Living | Sunna ♂ , Sunno ♀ | sunne | - | While the Old English word ‘Sunne’ (Sun) was wifely, it was sometimes made werely as a given name ‘Sunna’, and in today’s English, as ‘Sunny’, is almost only given to women. |
Sutcliff | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | sūþ | cliff | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Sūþcliff’. |
Sutton | Suttun | ♂ | Lastname | - | sūþ | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Sūþtūn’. |
Swafbert | - | ♂ | Quickened | Swǣfbeorht | swefn | beorht | |
Swanton | Swantun | ♂ | Lastname | swan | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Swantūn’. | |
Swavard | Swafard | ♂ | Quickened | Swǣfheard | swefn | heard | |
Swavild | Swafild | ♂ | Quickened | Swǣfġild | swefn | ġild | |
Swavred | Swafred | ♂ | Quickened | Swǣfrǣd | swefn | rǣd | |
Swinburne | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | swīne | burne | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Swīnburne’. |
Swinford | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | swīne | ford | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Swīnford’. |
Swinton | Swintun | ♂ | Lastname | - | swīne | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Swīntūn’. |
Swithbald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Swīþbeald | swīþ | beald | |
Swithbert | - | ♂ | Quickened | Swīþbeorht | swīþ | beorht | |
Swithelm | - | ♂ | Quickened | Swīþhelm | swīþ | helm | |
Swithfrith | - | ♂ | Quickened | Swīþfriþ | swīþ | friþ | |
Swithnoth | - | ♂ | Quickened | Swīþnōþ | swīþ | nōþ | |
Switholf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Swīþwulf | swīþ | wulf | |
Swithoun | Swithune | ♂ | Quickened | Swīþrǣd | swīþ | rǣd | |
Swithwin | - | ♂ | Quickened | Swīþwine | swīþ | wine | |
Swoon | - | ♂ | Quickened | Swān | - | - | Kin with the names ‘Sven’ (New Norse), ‘Sveinn’ (Old Norse), and the latterday word ‘swain’, meaning, ‘young man’, which comes from Old Norse. The Old English match was ‘swān’. |
Tanner | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | - | - | Not a given name in OE. From the lastname for someone who tans leather, from the OE word ‘tān’, as found in the saying, ‘getannede hyd’ (tanned hide). |
Tate | - | ⚥ | Lastname | Tāta | - | - | As an Anglish name, from the Lastname ‘Tate’, thought to be from the Old English name, ‘Tāta’, of unknown spring. Sometimes mingled with the lastname ‘Tait’, which instead comes from the Old Norse word, ‘teitr’, and was borrowed into English, meaning ‘glad’, ‘merry’. |
Teal | - | ♀ | Living | *Tǣle | - | - | From the everyday word for the hue and the duck. A word thought to come from Old English, but which has not yet been found. Not known to be a name in Old English. |
Ted | - | ♂ | Living | - | ēad | - | A shortening of names that start with ‘Ed’, such as ‘Edward’ and ‘Edgar’. Not an Anglish name when a shortening of ‘Theodore’. |
Teddy | - | ⚥ | Living | - | ēad | - | A shortening of names that start with ‘Ed’, such as ‘Edward’ and ‘Edwina’. Not an Anglish name when a shortening of ‘Theodore’. |
Thankful | - | ⚥ | Living | - | þanc | - | Not a given name in OE. A puritanical Christian name, from the everyday English word. |
Thedbert | - | ♂ | Quickened | Þēodbeorht | þeod | beorht | |
Theddild | - | ♀ | Quickened | Þēodhild | þeod | hild | |
Thedred | - | ♂ | Quickened | Þēodrǣd | þeod | rǣd | |
Thedrich | Thedric | ♂ | Quickened | Þēodrīċ | þeod | rīċe | Kin with Old Low German Dederick, which yields Derek, Derreck, Derrick, Dirk, and Terry. |
Thedwolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Þēodwulf | þeod | wulf | |
Thingfrith | - | ♂ | Quickened | Þingfriþ | þingfriþ | friþ | |
Thorburn | - | ♂ | Lastname | Þurbeorn | þur | beorn | Also spelled: Thurburn. The ‘Thor-’/‘Thur-’ shape of Thor/Thunder is a late borrowing into Old English straight from Norse. |
Thorn | - | ♂ | Living | Þorn | þorn | - | Either from the everyday English word, or from the lastnames such Thorn (from the alike word) or as a shortening of the lastname Thornton. |
Thornton | Thorntun | ♂ | Lastname | - | þorn | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Þorntūn’, meaning: thorn town. |
Thrithgar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Þrȳþgār | þrȳþ | gār | |
Thrithred | - | ♂ | Quickened | Þrȳþrǣd | þrȳþ | rǣd | |
Thrithwolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Þrȳþwulf | þrȳþ | wulf | |
Thurbrand | - | ♂ | Quickened | Þurbrand | þur | brand | |
Thurfrith | - | ♂ | Quickened | Þurfriþ | þur | friþ | |
Thurlock | - | ♂ | Quickened | Þurlāc | þur | lāc | |
Thurlow | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | þur | hlǣw | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Þurhlǣw’, meaning: Thunder’s low (hill). |
Thursday | - | ⚥ | Living | - | þur | dæġ | Not found as a name in OE. From the everyday word for the day of the week, named for the god and heavenly body, ‘Thunder’ (‘Thor’ in Old Norse; Interpretatio Roman from ‘Zeus’). Given to children born on the day. |
Thurstan | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | þur | stān | Also spelled: Thurston. Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Þurstān’. The Old English name also yielded lastnames such as ‘Duston’ and ‘Dustin’. |
Thurwald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Þurweald | þur | weald | |
Tidbald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Tīdbeald | tīd | beald | |
Tidbert | - | ♂ | Quickened | Tīdbeorht | tīd | beorht | |
Tidbury | - | ♀ | Quickened | Tīdburg | tīd | burg | |
Tiddelm | - | ♂ | Quickened | Tīdhelm | tīd | helm | |
Tiddey | - | ♂ | Quickened | Tīdhēah | tīd | hēah | |
Tiddoun | Tiddune | ♂ | Quickened | Tīdhūn | tīd | hūn | |
Tidfrith | - | ♂ | Quickened | Tīdfriþ | tīd | friþ | |
Tidwald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Tīdweald | tīd | weald | |
Tidwolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Tīdwulf | tīd | wulf | |
Tilbert | - | ♂ | Quickened | Tilbeorht | til | beorht | |
Tilden | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | til | denu | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Tildenu’. |
Tilford | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | til | ford | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Tilford’. |
Tillar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Tilhere | til | here | |
Tillman | - | ♂ | Lastname | Tilmann | til | mann | |
Tilred | - | ♂ | Quickened | Tilrǣd | til | rǣd | |
Tilthane | - | ♂ | Quickened | Tilþeġn | til | þeġn | |
Tilton | Tiltun | ♂ | Lastname | - | til | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Tiltūn’. |
Tilwin | - | ♂ | Quickened | Tilwine | til | wine | |
Tirwald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Tīrweald | Tīr | weald | The ‘Tir-’ shape of Tue/Tye is a late borrowing into Old English straight from Norse. |
Tirwolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Tīrwolf | Tīr | wulf | |
Tone | - | ♂ | Lastname | Tūna | tūn | - | From a lastname from the word that yields us ‘town’, which, as a name, meant ‘townsman’. Found as a standalone name in Old English as well. |
Tortar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Torhthere | torht | here | |
Tortbert | - | ♂ | Quickened | Torhtbeorht | torht | beorht | |
Tortelm | - | ♂ | Quickened | Torhthelm | torht | helm | |
Tortith | - | ♀ | Quickened | Torhtgȳþ | torht | gȳþ | |
Tortmund | - | ♂ | Quickened | Torhtmūnd | torht | mūnd | |
Tortred | - | ♂ | Quickened | Torhtrǣd | torht | rǣd | |
Tortwald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Torhtweald | torht | weald | |
Tortwin | - | ♂ | Quickened | Torhtwine | torht | wine | |
Townsend | Tunsend | ♂ | Lastname | - | tūn | ende | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Tūnesende’, meaning: town’s end. |
True | Trew | ⚥ | Living | - | trīewe | - | Not a given name in OE. From the everyday word for someone who is true or trustworthy. Not a widely borne name outside of the Puritans in the 1800s. Borne by the main player of the 1900s strip, ‘The Outbursts of Everett True’. |
Truman | Trewman | ♂ | Lastname | - | trīewe | mann | Not a given name in OE. From the lastname that comes from OE ‘Trīewemann’. Borne by the American leader Harry S. Truman (1884-1972) and the American writer Truman Capote (1924-1984). |
Trumbert | - | ♂ | Quickened | Trumbeorht | trum | beorht | |
Trummar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Trumhere | trum | here | |
Trumwin | - | ♂ | Quickened | Trumwine | trum | wine | |
Tucker | - | ♂ | Lastname | Tucca | - | - | From a lastname for a clothmaker (like the names Walker and Fuller). Also found in Old English, maybe from the likewise word, which meant to beat or weary someone or something (in the way that one beats cloth). |
Tuesday | Tewsday | ⚥ | Living | Tīwesdæġ | Tīw | dæġ | Not found as a name in OE. From the everyday word for the day of the week, named for the god and heavenly body, ‘Tue’ or ‘Tew’ (‘Tyr’ in Old Norse; Interpretatio Roman from ‘Mars’). Given to children born on the day. |
Tumbert | - | ♂ | Quickened | Tūnbeorht | tūn | beorht | |
Tunred | - | ♂ | Quickened | Tūnrǣd | tūn | rǣd | |
Tunrich | Tunric | ♂ | Quickened | Tūnrīċ | tūn | rīċe | |
Tunwald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Tūnweald | tūn | weald | |
Tunwolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Tūnwulf | tūn | wulf | |
Twyford | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | twīġe | ford | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Twīġeford’. |
Tye | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | - | - | Not a given name in OE. Either as a shortening of the name Tyler, or from the lastname ‘Tye’, for someone who lived by a meadow, or a yard, from OE ‘tēah’. |
Tyler | - | ⚥ | Lastname | - | - | - | Not a given name in OE. From the lastname, for someone who makes tiles. Borne by the tenth American leader, John Tyler (1790–1862). |
Upton | Uptun | ♂ | Lastname | - | upp | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Upptūn’. Borne by the American writer and politician Upton Sinclair (1878-1968). |
Wade | - | ⚥ | Lastname | Wada | wad | - | Also found as as a given name in Old English times. Today it comes from the lastname, which meant ‘to go’, or ‘wade’, as one would wade through low-waters, when at a ford. Wade, or, Wada, was the Old English god of the seas and waters. |
Wadsworth | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | wad | worþ | Also spelled: Wordsworth. Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Wadasworþ’. |
Waldar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wealdhere | weald | here | Kin with the Anglo-Norman name ‘Walter’. |
Waldelm | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wealdhelm | weald | helm | |
Walden | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | wealh | denu | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Wealdene’. |
Walder | - | ♂ | Lastname | Walda | wald | - | From a lastname that meant a wold-dweller (woods-dweller). |
Waldred | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wealdrǣd | wald | rǣd | |
Walker | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | wealc | - | Not a given name in OE. From a lastname for someone who make cloth, by walking on it, from OE ‘wealcere’. (Like the names Tucker and Fuller.) |
Wallard | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wealhheard | wealh | heard | |
Walloun | Wallune | ♂ | Quickened | Wealhhūn | wealh | hūn | |
Walmer | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wealdmǣr | weald | mǣr | Kin with mainland ‘Waldemar’, and through that tie, maybe also kin with the Slavic name ‘Vladimir’. |
Walthew | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wealhþēow | wealh | þēow | |
Walthrith | - | ♀ | Quickened | Wealdþrȳþ | weald | þrȳþ | Kin with the German name ‘Waltraud’. |
Walton | Waltun | ♂ | Lastname | - | wald, wealh, weall | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From any number of OE town names, ‘Waldtūn’ (woods-town), ‘Wealhtūn’ (welsh-town), ‘Wealltūn’ (wall-town). |
Warbald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Warbeald | waru | beald | |
Warbert | - | ♂ | Quickened | Warbeorht | waru | beorht | |
Warbury | - | ♀ | Quickened | Wærburg | waru | burg | |
Ward | - | ♂ | Lastname | Wearda | weard | - | |
Wardar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Weardhere | weard | here | Kin with the German name ‘Werner’, and the Norman name ‘Warner’. |
Wardell | - | ♂ | Lastname | weard | hyll | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Weardhyll’. | |
Warfrith | - | ♂ | Quickened | Warfriþ | waru | friþ | |
Warhard | - | ♂ | Quickened | Warheard | waru | heard | |
Warhelm | - | ♂ | Quickened | Warhelm | waru | helm | |
Warmund | - | ♂ | Quickened | Warmūnd | waru | mūnd | |
Warnoth | - | ♂ | Quickened | Warnōþ | waru | nōþ | |
Warstan | - | ♂ | Quickened | Warstān | waru | stān | |
Warthrith | - | ♀ | Quickened | Wærþrȳþ | waru | þrȳþ | |
Warwick | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | wer | wiċ | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Werwic’. |
Washington | Wascingtun | ♂ | Lastname | - | Hwæssa (?) | ing + tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Hwæssingatūn’, meaning: Hwassa’s town. Most often named after the American revolutionary leader George Washington (1732-1799). |
Waybrand | - | ♂ | Quickened | Weġbrand | weġ | brand | |
Wayday | - | ♂ | Quickened | Weġdæġ | weġ | dæġ | |
Wayne | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | - | - | Also spelled: Wain. Not a given name in OE. From the English lastname, for someone who made or rode wains (wagons). From the OE word ‘wæġn’, tied to the word ‘way’. (The word ‘wagon’ was borrowed into English from Netherlandish, upsetting the inborn word.) |
Webster | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | - | - | Not a given name in OE. From the lastname for someone who weaves web, from OE ‘webbestre’. Borne by American wordlorer Noah Webster (1758–1843). |
Wednesday | - | ⚥ | Living | - | wōd | dæġ | Not found as a name in OE. From the everyday word for the day of the week, named for the god and heavenly body, ‘Woden’ or ‘Wooden’ (‘Ođinn’ in Old Norse, Interpretatio Roman from ‘Mercury’). Given to children born on the day. |
Weestan | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wēohstān | wēoh | stān | A hero spoken of in the great tale ‘Beowulf’. |
Weldon | Weldun | ♂ | Lastname | - | wille | denu, dūn | Also spelled: Welden. Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Willedūn’. The latter bit could be from either OE denu (a den, dale) or dūn (a down, hill). |
Wellington | Wellingtun | ♂ | Lastname | - | Weola (?) | ing + tūn | Not a given name in OE. Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Weolingatūn’. Either from the lastname, or named after Arthur Wellesley the first Duke of Wellington (1769-1852), who ended the Napoleonic wars by beating Napoleon in the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. |
Welthrith | - | ♀ | Quickened | Wealhþrȳþ | wealh | þrȳþ | |
Welton | Weltun | ♂ | Lastname | - | wille | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Willetūn’. |
Wentworth | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | winter | worþ | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Winterworþ’. |
Wesley | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | west | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Westlēah’. |
Weston | Westun | ♂ | Lastname | - | west | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Westtūn’. |
Whatbert | Hwatbert | ♂ | Quickened | Hwǣtebeorht | hwǣte | beorht | |
Whaton | Hwattun | ♂ | Quickened | Hwǣtetūn | hwǣte | tūn | |
Wheatley | Hweatley | ♂ | Lastname | - | hwǣte | lēah | Also spelled: ‘Whatley’. Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Hwǣtelēah’. Borne by a player in the 2011 American game ‘Portal 2’. |
Whitaker | Hwitaker | ♂ | Lastname | - | hwīt | acer | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Hwītacer’. |
White | Hwite | ♂ | Lastname | Hwīta | hwīt | - | Either from the everyday English word, or from the lastname. Borne by the player Walter White in the 2000s TV show Breaking Bad. |
Whitfield | Hwitfeeld | ♂ | Lastname | - | hwīt | feld | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Hwītfeld’. Borne by American cryptographer Bailey Whitfield Diffie (1994). |
Whitley | Hwitley | ⚥ | Lastname | - | hwīt | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Hwītlēah’. |
Whitney | Hwitney | ⚥ | Lastname | - | hwīt | nēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Hwītnēah’. |
Whitred | Hwitred | ♂ | Quickened | Hwītrǣd | hwīt | rǣd | |
Whittis | Hwittis | ♂ | Quickened | Hwīthyse | hwīt | hyse | |
Widsith | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wīdsīþ | wīd | sīþ | |
Wilbur | Wilber | ♂ | Lastname | - | wild | bār | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Wildbār’. |
Wilder | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | wild | dēor | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Wilddēor’. |
Wilfled | - | ♀ | Quickened | Willflǣd | will | flǣd | |
Wilford | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | will | ford | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Willford’. |
Wilfred | - | ♂ | Lastname | Willfriþ | will | friþ | Also spelled: ‘Wilfrid’ (Anglish Spelling: Wilfrith). Borne by a holyman in the 600s. Brought back in the 1800s. The lastname ‘Wilfred’ sometimes comes from a metathesis of ‘Wilford’. |
Wilgar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Willgār | will | gār | |
Will | - | ♂ | Living | Willa | will | - | A shortening of names starting with ‘Will-’, such as ‘William’ and ‘Wilbur’. |
Willar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Willhere | will | here | |
Willard | - | ♂ | Lastname | Willheard | will | heard | |
Willelm | - | ♂ | Quickened | Willhelm | will | helm | Can also be spelled: Wilhelm. Overcome by its Norman match, ‘William’, thanks to William of Normandy. |
Willoughbur | - | ♂ | Unfounded | - | weliġ | būr | Not a given name in OE. An unfounded name made by likeness to the lastname ‘Willoughby’, where the Norse -by stead-word has been swapped for inborn -bor. Meaning: the willow-bower (homestead). Could also be spelled ‘Willowbor’. |
Willow | - | ♀ | Living | - | weliġ | - | Not a given name in OE. From the everyday word for the tree, from OE ‘welig’. |
Willy | - | ⚥ | Living | - | will | - | A shortening of names that start with ‘Will’. |
Wilmer | - | ♂ | Lastname | Willmǣr | will | mǣr | |
Wilmund | - | ♂ | Quickened | Willmūnd | will | mūnd | |
Wilnoth | - | ♀ | Quickened | Willnōþ | will | nōþ | |
Wilred | - | ♂ | Quickened | Willrǣd | will | rǣd | |
Wilsey | - | ♂ | Quickened | Willsiġe | will | siġe | |
Wilstan | - | ♂ | Quickened | Willstān | will | stān | |
Wilyils | - | ♂ | Quickened | Willġils | will | ġīsel | |
Wimbald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Winnbeald | wine | beald | |
Wimbert | - | ♂ | Quickened | Winnbeorht | wine | beorht | |
Windsor | - | ⚥ | Lastname | - | windles | ōra | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Windlesōra’. Borne by the British Royal Family since 1917. |
Winfield | Winfeeld | ♂ | Lastname | - | wine | feld | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Winnfeld’, meaning: won (worked, tilled) field. |
Winfled | - | ♀ | Quickened | Wynnflǣd | wynn | flǣd | |
Winfred | - | ♂ | Living | Winefriþ | wine | friþ | Died out following the Norman overthrow, brought back in the 1800s. The name ‘Winifred’ has been swayed by ‘Winfred’, but Winifred is rather an Englishing of the Welsh name ‘Gwenfrewi’. |
Winfrith | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wynnfriþ | wine | friþ | See also: Winfred. |
Winhelm | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wynnhelm | wine | helm | |
Winnar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wynnhere | wine | here | |
Winnie | Winny | ⚥ | Living | - | wine | - | A shortening of names such as ‘Winfred’, ‘Winifred’ (see: Winfred) and ‘Winston’. More often a woman’s name than a man’s name. |
Winsey | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wynnsiġe | wine | siġe | |
Winston | Winstun | ♂ | Lastname | Winnstān | wine | stān | From the lastname ‘Winston’, not a name that lived through time as a given name. Borne by the English leader and writer Winston Spencer Churchill (1874-1965). |
Winter | - | ⚥ | Living | - | winter | - | Not a given name in OE. From the everyday word for the season, often given to someone born in the season of winter, or for someone with fair hair or skin, or ironically for someone with dark skin and hair. |
Winthrop | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | wine | þorp | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Wynnasþorp’, meaning: Wynna’s thorp (town). Spread by the early settler kindred of Winthrop of New England. |
Winton | Wintun | ♂ | Lastname | - | wine, wiþiġ | tūn | Not a given name in OE. From the lastname ‘Winton’, which comes at times from OE ‘Winastūn’ (Wina’s town), ‘Winntun’ (field-town), or ‘Wiþiġtūn’ (withy/willow-town). |
Witbald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wihtbeald | wiht | beald | |
Witbert | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wihtbeorht | wiht | beorht | |
Witbrod | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wihtbrord | wiht | brord | |
Witbury | - | ♀ | Quickened | Wihtburg | wiht | burg | |
Witfled | - | ♀ | Quickened | Wihtflǣd | wiht | flǣd | |
Witfrith | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wihtfriþ | wiht | friþ | |
Witgar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wihtgār | wiht | gār | |
Witlof | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wihtlāf | wiht | lāf | |
Witmund | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wihtmūnd | wiht | mūnd | |
Witnoth | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wihtnōþ | wiht | nōþ | |
Witred | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wihtrǣd | wiht | rǣd | |
Witsey | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wihtsiġe | wiht | siġe | |
Wittar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wihthere | wiht | here | |
Wittard | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wihtheard | wiht | heard | |
Wittelm | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wihthelm | wiht | helm | |
Wittoun | Wittune | ♂ | Quickened | Wihthūn | wiht | hūn | |
Wityils | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wihtgils | wiht | ġils | |
Wolf | - | ♂ | Living | Wulfa , Offa | wulf | - | |
Wolfbald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wulfbeald | wulf | beald | |
Wolfbert | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wulfbeorht | wulf | beorht | |
Wolfgang | - | ♂ | Unfounded | *Wulfgang | wulf | gang | Not found in OE. If it were, it would likely become the alike shape as the living mainland name, ‘Wolfgang’. See also: Gangwolf. |
Wolfgar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wulfgār | wulf | gār | |
Wolfled | - | ♀ | Quickened | Wulfflǣd | wulf | flǣd | |
Wolflof | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wulflāf | wulf | lāf | |
Wolfmer | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wulfmǣr | wulf | mǣr | |
Wolfred | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wulfrǣd | wulf | rǣd | |
Wolfrich | Wolfric | ♂ | Quickened | Wulfrīċ | wulf | rīċe | Kin with the German name ‘Ulrich’. |
Wolfroun | Wolfrune | ♀ | Lastname | Wulfrūn | wulf | rūn | The name died out as a given name but lives on as the English Lastname ‘Wolfroun’. |
Wolfsey | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wulfsiġe | wulf | siġe | |
Wolfstan | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wulfstān | wulf | stān | |
Wolswith | - | ♀ | Quickened | Wulfswīþ | wulf | swīþ | |
Wolthrith | - | ♀ | Quickened | Wulfþrȳþ | wulf | þrȳþ | |
Wolvar | Wolfar | ♂ | Quickened | Wulfhere | wulf | here | Born by a 600s King of Mercia. |
Wolvard | Wolfard | ♂ | Quickened | Wulfheard | wulf | heard | |
Wolvat | Wolfat | ♂ | Quickened | Wulfġeat | wulf | ġeat | |
Wolver | Wolfer | ♀ | Quickened | Wulfwaru | wulf | waru | |
Wolvey | Wolfey | ♂ | Quickened | Wulfhēah | wulf | hēah | |
Wolvin | Wolfin | ⚥ | Quickened | Wulfwine ♂ , Wolfwynn ♀ | wulf | wine , wynn | |
Wolvith | Wolfith | ♀ | Quickened | Wulfgȳþ | wulf | gȳþ | |
Wolvive | Wolfife | ♀ | Quickened | Wulfġifu | wulf | ġifu | |
Wolvoun | Wolfune | ♂ | Quickened | Wulfhūn | wulf | hūn | |
Wood | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | wudu | - | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Wudu’, meaning: wood, or woods, woodland. Also found as the lastname ‘Woods’. May sometimes come from the everyday word. |
Woodrow | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | wudu | rǣw | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Wudurǣw’. Borne by the United States leader Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924). |
Woodstock | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | wudu | stocc | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Wudustocc’. Spread by the Woodstock Music & Art Fair of 1969. |
Woodward | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | wudu | weard | Not a given name in OE. From the OE working-name ‘Wuduweard’, meaning: woodland ward (worker). |
Woody | - | ♂ | Living | Wuda | wudu | - | Either a shortening of names that start with ‘Wood’, or after the everyday word. Borne by American funnyman Woody Allen (1935), who was born Allan Stewart Konigsberg, and named himself after American folk singer Woodrow ‘Woody’ Guthrie (1912–1967). Also borne by the wooden toy, Sheriff Woody, in the 1995 film Toy Story. |
Worth | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | worþ | - | Not a given name in OE. From a lastname for someone who lived by a worth (a yarded field, meadow). |
Wren | - | ♀ | Living | - | - | - | Not a given name in OE. From the everyday word for the bird, from OE ‘wrenna’. |
Wright | Wrigt | ♂ | Lastname | - | - | - | Not a given name in OE. From the everyday word for a craftsman, from OE ‘wyrhta’. Borne by the main player in the 2000s Japanish game ‘Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney’ and its follow-ups. |
Wybald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wīġbeald | wīġ | beald | |
Wybert | - | ♂ | Living | Wīġbeorht | wīġ | beorht | |
Wybury | - | ♀ | Quickened | Wīġburg | wīġ | burg | |
Wyfous | Wyfuse | ♂ | Quickened | Wīġfūs | wīġ | fūs | |
Wyfrith | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wīġfriþ | wīġ | friþ | |
Wyhar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wīġhere | wīġ | here | |
Wyhard | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wīġheard | wīġ | heard | Kin with the Anglo-Norman name ‘Wyatt’, borne by American lawman Wyatt Earp (1848-1929) who was in the Gunfight at the OK Corrall of 1881. |
Wyhelm | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wīġhelm | wīġ | helm | |
Wyhey | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wīġhēah | wīġ | hēah | |
Wylof | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wīġlāf | wīġ | lāf | |
Wymund | - | ♂ | Living | Wīġmūnd | wīġ | mūnd | Also found by the Norman-spelling of ‘Wymond’. |
Wyndham | - | ♂ | Lastname | - | wīġ + mūnd | hām | Not a given name in OE. From a lastname for someone from Wyndham, from OE Wīġmūndhām, meaning ‘Wymund’s home’. |
Wynne | - | ⚥ | Lastname | Wine ♂ , Wynn ♀ | wine , wynn | - | Likely from the lastname rather than ongoing bearing as a given name. A blend of the werely OE name ‘Wine’, and the wifely OE name ‘Wynn’, both springing from the alike word, and both with a rough overall meaning of ‘gladness, mirth’. Could also be spelled ‘Win’. |
Wynoth | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wīġnōþ | wīġ | nōþ | |
Wyred | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wīġrǣd | wīġ | rǣd | |
Wystan | - | ♂ | Living | Wīġstān | wīġ | stān | Also spelled: ‘Wistan’, as in the hallowed man of the 800s who was an atheling, and was killed by his nephew Bertwolf. Borne by the writer Wystan Hugh Auden (1907-1973). |
Wyswith | - | ♀ | Quickened | Wīġswīþ | wīġ | swīþ | |
Wythane | - | ♂ | Quickened | Wīġþeġn | wīġ | þeġn | |
Yardley | - | ⚥ | Lastname | - | ġeard | lēah | Not a given name in OE. From the OE stow-name ‘Ġeardlēah’. Borne by the actress Yeardley Smith (1964-now), the steven of Lisa Simpson of The Simpsons. |
Yardwin | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ġeardwine | ġeard | wine | |
Yardwolf | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ġeardwulf | ġeard | wulf | |
Yarrow | - | ♀ | Living | - | - | - | Not known as a given name in Old English times. From the name of the blossom. |
Yembald | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ġēanbald | ġēan | beald | |
Yembert | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ġēanbeorht | ġēan | beorht | |
Yembury | - | ♀ | Quickened | Ġēanburg | ġēan | burg | |
Yenred | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ġēanred | ġēan | rǣd | |
Yenthrith | - | ♀ | Quickened | Ġēanþrȳþ | ġēan | þrȳþ | |
Yetstaff | - | ♂ | Unfounded | *Ġēatstaf | ġēat | stæf | Not found in OE. A name which would be kin with the Swedish name ‘Gustav’. |
Yildwin | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ġildewine | ġeld | wine | |
Yiselar | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ġīslhere | ġīls , ġīsl | here | |
Yiselard | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ġīslheard | ġīls , ġīsl | heard | |
Yiselbert | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ġīslbeorht | ġīls , ġīsl | beorht | Kin with the Norman name Gilbert. |
Yiselmer | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ġīslmǣr | ġīls , ġīsl | mǣr | |
Yiselmund | - | ♂ | Quickened | Ġīslmūnd | ġīls , ġīsl | mūnd |
Make Your Own Name
The following is a hoard of words that are often found in English bindnames. (Further reading on Germanic Names on Wikipedia.) These long-standing English naming words can be blended together to make new names. While there are many spellings of words that have come down to us over the years, only the most widespread, well-known shapes are given. So, for the bind-word shape of “lea” we only have “-ley”, as in “Ashley” rather than “Ashlee”, “Ashleigh” and so on. Since many naming words died out altogether, some of them had to be shaped anew for today’s readers. These are marked with a star (*).
The old Germanic naming way was to blend an adjective (“beloved”) with a noun (“fighter”). While some of our names keep this trend, many have come to us through lastnames. This is also why there are not only more werely (♂) names, but that many of the landmark words (“east”, “field”, “hill”, and so on) are linked with naming men. Stanley bears this out, as it comes from a lastname for someone who lived in a stony lea. True Germanic naming words, words that were borne as given names through Old English times and earlier, are marked as 'given'.
Another Old English naming way is rhyming. A rhyme these days might read like, “Alvin, Edwin and Elwin”. Though there are also fore-rhymes, like “Edgar and Edward”.
The naming words are marked as werely (♂), wifely (♀), or shared (⚥) kinds of man, to show you how they've been borne before. However, it’s up to the reader to find the word that fits best for any given name. Ashley, like Stanley, was once a werely name, as it was meant to show kinship, but it has since shifted to mostly a wifely name.
Some craftiness and understanding of how speech works is needed when making bindnames. English has two kinds of consonants, spoken and whispered. Put your finger to your throat, make an “f” and then a “v”. You’ll see that you make the same shape in your mouth. But as your finger will tell you, you only whisper the “f”, while you speak the “v”. Vowels are always spoken. So, when the fricative consonants (s/z, f/v, th/TH) fall between vowels, they’re often spoken too. It’s also needful to think of how the twained staves shift how a word reads, “sh”, “th”, “ch”. You should also think about the “unspoken e” that shifts the lengths of vowels (as in “bit” to “bite”). It’s best to speak a name aloud a few times to see how it flows, and then to think of how to put that in writing.
Binding “Alf-” and “-win” yields Alvin (not “Alfwin”). When “Alf-” is bound with “-win” it’s smoother to drop the “w”. The “f” is spoken since it blurs into the incoming “i” vowel, and the “f” is therefore written as a “v”.
Binding “Os-” and “-helm” yields “Oselm” (not “Oshelm”).
Binding “Bert-” and “-har” yields “Bertar” (not “Berthar”).
Binding “Blis-” and “-har” yields “Blissar” (not “Blisar”).
Binding “Ed-” and “-gith” yields “Edith” (not “Edgith”).
Staves are therefore marked in square brackets [] if they might need to be swapped or dropped.
OE Word | Kind | Whence | English Foreword | English Afterword | Anglish Foreword | Anglish Afterword | Meaning |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
āc | ♂ | Both | Ac[k] | *oak | Ac[k] | oak | An oak tree, or tall, or strong. |
acer | ♂ | Lastname | Acker | aker | Acker | aker | An acre, field, a tiller, tilled land. |
ād | ♂ | Given | *Ad | - | Ad | - | A bonfire, a fire great enough to burn bones. |
æġel | ⚥ | Given | Ail | - | Ail | - | An atheling, highborn, or leaderly, or righteous. (A late offshoot of OE æþel.) |
ǣġen | ⚥ | Given | Ain | - | Ain | - | One’s own, beholden only to oneself. |
æl | ⚥ | Given | *Al | - | Al | - | All, full, whole, or everyone. |
ælf | ⚥ | Given | Al[f/v] | alf | Alf[f] | alf | An elf; someone with otherworldly smarts or handsomeness. |
æṡċ | ⚥ | Given | Ash | - | Asc | - | An ash tree, or the World Tree, or the first man. (Ash [Askr] in Germanic folklore was the first Man, along with the first woman, Elm [Embla].) |
æt | ♂ | Lastname | At | - | At | - | At, on, near to. |
æþel | ⚥ | Given | Ethel | - | Ethel | - | An atheling, highborn, or leaderly, or righteous. |
amal | ⚥ | Given | Amal | - | Amal | - | Bold; hardworking; or of the Amalings. |
an | ⚥ | Given | *An | - | An | - | A forebear, forefather. |
ān | ⚥ | Lastname | An | - | An | - | One, or alone. |
and | ♂ | Given | *An | - | An | - | Back, against, wither, over, or without. (Like in the word ‘answer’, to swear/talk-back.) |
angel-, engel-, ingel- | ⚥ | Given | *Eng[e]l | - | Eng[e]l | - | English, Anglo-Saxon; or an angler; or an angle. (They all spring from a shared root meaning of “an angle”, as in “a hook”.) |
anġen | ♂ | Given | *Onyen | - | Onyen | - | Ongoing, forward; or against; or to come again. |
āwa | ♂ | Given | *Aw[a] | - | Aw[a] | - | Always, ever, forever. |
bær | ♂ | Lastname | Bar | - | Bar | - | Bare, naked. |
bær | ♂ | Lastname | Bar | - | Bar | - | Barley. |
bār | ♂ | Given | Bor | bur | Bor | bur | A boar, a wild swine. |
beadu | ⚥ | Given | *Bad | - | Bad | - | To beat; fight. |
bēag | ♂ | Given | Bag | - | Bag | - | Bent, like a bight, bow, or ring. |
beald | ⚥ | Given | Bald | bald | Bald | bald | Bold; strong; lordly; or the Bold god (Balday, Baldr). |
bēan | ♂ | Lastname | Ban | - | Ban | - | A bean, or bean-tiller. |
bearn | ⚥ | Given | - | *barn | - | barn | A barn, a child; newly born. |
bec, bæċ | ♂ | Lastname | Beck | - | Beck | - | A beck, beach, brook, or stream. |
bēd | ♂ | Given | *Bede | *bede | Bede | bede | To ask, bid, beseech; or a worshipping bead. |
bēo | ⚥ | Given | *Bee | - | Bee | - | A bee, honey-maker; or busy. |
beofer | ⚥ | Lastname | Bever | - | Befer | - | A beaver; or busy, hardworking. |
beonet | ♂ | Lastname | Bent | - | Bent | - | Bent (the strong, stiff grass). |
beorg | ♂ | Given | *Ber | *bery | Ber | bery | A barrow, berg, hill, mound. |
beorht | ⚥ | Given | Bert | bert | Bert | bert | Bright, fair, beloved, shining. |
beorn, bera | ⚥ | Given | Bern | bern | Bern | bern | A bear; or a strong man or woman. (The words for ‘bear’ and ‘man’ blended together in Old English names, since the OE word beorn [meaning: man] took the same shape as the Frankish word beorn [meaning: bear].) |
bēt | ⚥ | Given | *Bet | *bet | Bet | bet | Better, great, good, well. |
bill | ⚥ | Given | *Bill | *bill | Bill | bill | Bill-like, sharp, smart (in all meanings), an edge, a sword. |
birċe | ♂ | Lastname | Berk | - | Berk | - | A birch tree. |
blæc | ⚥ | Lastname | Black | - | Black | - | Black, dark, swart; or deep; or dirty; or evil. |
blīc | ⚥ | Given | *Blick | - | Blick | - | Blick, shining, beloved. |
blīþ | ⚥ | Given | *Blith | - | Blith | - | Blithe, bliss, gladness, happiness. |
bod | ♂ | Given | *Bod | *bode | Bod | bode | To bode, tell; ask. |
bord | ⚥ | Given | - | bord | - | bord | A board, shield. |
bōt | ♂ | Given | *Bot | *boot | Bot | boot | To boot, help, free; eke to. |
brād | ♂ | Lastname | Brad | - | Brad | - | Broad, wide, deep, open. |
brand | ⚥ | Given | Brand | brand | Brand | brand | A brand, fire, light, or sword. |
breġu | ⚥ | Given | *Brey | - | Brey | - | Strong, leaderly, shining, beloved. |
brōc | ⚥ | Lastname | Brock | brook | Brock | brook | A brook, stream. |
brocc | ♂ | Lastname | Brock | - | Brock | - | A brock, or earth-dweller. |
brōm | ♂ | Lastname | Brom | - | Brom | - | Broom, sedge, underwood, a besom. |
brord | ♂ | Given | Brod | *brod | Brod | brod | A brad, spike, spear, arrow, thin blade. |
brūn | ⚥ | Given | Bron | *brown | Bron | brune | Brown, dark, or a bear. |
bryċġ | ⚥ | Given | Bridge | - | Bricg | - | A bridge. |
bryne | ♂ | Given | Bren | - | Bren | - | Burning, fiery, hot-blooded. |
bucc | ♂ | Lastname | Buck | - | Buck | - | A buck, a goat or hart. |
būr | ♂ | Lastname | - | *bur | - | bur | A bower, an abode, a town. |
burg | ⚥ | Given | Bur | bury | Bur | bury | A borough, a strong, walled town. |
burne | ♂ | Lastname | Burn | burn | Burn | burn | A burn, stream, brook, spring. |
byrne | ♂ | Given | Burn | - | Burn | - | A burne/byrnie, harweed, shield; shelter. |
cæd | ♂ | Given | *Cad | - | Cad | - | A boat, or a seaman. |
cald | ♂ | Lastname | Cald | - | Cald | - | Cold, wintry. |
camb | ♂ | Lastname | - | comb | - | comb | A comb, a hollow, or a narrow dale. |
cār | ♂ | Given | - | car | - | car | Careful, burdened, or worried. |
ċead | ♂ | Lastname | Chad | - | Cead | - | (Of unknown spring. Maybe an Old English borrowing of the Brythonic word 'kad', meaning fightlock.) |
ċealc | ⚥ | Lastname | Chel | - | Cel | - | Chalk; white. |
cealf | ♂ | Lastname | Cal[f/v] | - | Calf[f] | - | A calf, a young cow. |
ċēap | ♂ | Lastname | Chap | - | Ceap | - | Cheap; a good deal; to deal in goods. |
cēne | ♂ | Given | Ken | - | Ken | - | Keen, bold, fit. |
cent | ♂ | Lastname | Kent | - | Kent | - | The land of Kent. |
ċēol | ⚥ | Given | *Chel | - | Cel | - | Of a ship’s keel, a ship, or a sailor. (The hard-k in ‘keel’ was shaped by inflow from Old Norse.) |
ċeorl | ⚥ | Given | *Cherl | *cherl | Cerl | cerl | A churl, a freeman, a bower. (A churl in olden times was an everyday free-man, above a thew, but not of high standing.) (The name was seldom borne even in Old English times. Most likely all living names with Charl- / Charles are from the French borrowing.) |
ċetel | ♂ | Given | *Chettle | *chettle | Cetel | cetel | A holy kettle, or a helm, headwear. (The hard-k in ‘kettle’ was shaped by inflow from Old Norse.) |
ċild | ⚥ | Given | - | child | - | cild | A child, youthful. |
ċirċe | ♂ | Lastname | Church | church | Circ | circ | A church. (Kin with the Northern word 'Kirk', which was shaped by Norse inflow.) |
clǣġ | ♂ | Lastname | Clay | - | Clay | - | Clay, sticky earth. |
clif | ♂ | Lastname | Cli[f/v] | cliff | Clif[f] | cliff | A cliff, headland, or stone. |
cniht | ♂ | Lastname | Knight | - | Knigt | - | A knight, righteous fighter, or a boy. |
cnof | ♂ | Given | *Knu[f/v] | - | Knuf[f] | - | A knuff, churl, free-man, or boyish. |
cōl | ♂ | Given | Col | coal | Col | coal | Coal, dark, black, swarthy. |
cote | ♂ | Lastname | Cot | - | Cot | - | A cote, house, an abode. |
cran | ♂ | Lastname | Cran | - | Cran | - | A crane, a wading bird. |
crāwe | ⚥ | Lastname | Craw | - | Craw | - | A crow; black; forboding. |
croft | ♂ | Lastname | Croft | croft | Croft | croft | A croft, field, lea. |
crumb | ⚥ | Lastname | Crom | - | Crom | - | Bent, hooked. |
cume | ⚥ | Lastname | - | combe | - | combe | To come, happen, arise. |
cūþ | ⚥ | Given | Cuth | - | Cuth | - | Couth, well-known, or beloved. (Couth has an older meaning of “well-known”.) |
cweld | ♂ | Given | *Queld | - | Cweld | - | To quell, stop, kill; or death, ending; evening. |
cwēn | ♀ | Given | Quen | - | Cwen | - | Queenly, leaderly, or womanly, wifely. (A queen in olden times meant not only a king’s wife, but the same as “lady” or “woman” does today.) |
cwic | ♂ | Given | Quick | - | Cwick | - | Quick, lively, or speedy. |
cyne | ♂ | Given | Kin | - | Kin | - | Of the kin, theed, folk, or kingly, leaderly. (The words kin, and kind, both spring from the OE word, cynn, which meant “folk” or “strain”. King comes from cynning [leader of the kin] and was shortened to cyne in names. These therefore often get lumped together.) |
cynning | ♂ | Lastname | King | - | King | - | See: cyne. |
dæd | ♂ | Given | *Ded | - | Ded | - | A deed, or a doer. |
dæġ | ⚥ | Given | Day | day | Day | day | The day, bright, shining. |
dæl | ♂ | Lastname | Dale | dale | Dale | dale | A dale, a great dell, a hollow, land between hills. |
dāl | ⚥ | Given | *Dol | - | Dol | - | To dole, split; shatter; end, quell. |
deal | ♂ | Given | Dal | - | Dal | - | Proud, a blowhard. |
dell | ⚥ | Lastname | Dell | dell | Dell | dell | A dell, a small dale, a hollow, land between hills. |
dene | ♂ | Given | Dan | dan | Dan | dan | Danish. |
denu | ⚥ | Lastname | - | den | - | den | A dene, dale, hollow, or a being’s den. (-den is often blended with -don, meaning a “down” or “hill”, as in names like Snowdon/Snowden.) |
dēor | ⚥ | Given | Der | der | Der | der | A roe deer, hart; any wild being; or bold. (The word ‘deer’ was once borne to mean any wild being.) |
dēore | ⚥ | Lastname | Dar | - | Dar | - | Dear, beloved. |
dod | ♂ | Given | *Dod | - | Dod | - | Naked, or without. |
dōm | ⚥ | Given | *Dom | dom | Dom | dom | Doom, outcome; or something foretold. |
drēam | ⚥ | Given | *Dream | - | Dream | - | To dream, or happiness, or song. |
drȳġe | ♂ | Lastname | Dry | - | Dry | - | Dry. |
dryht | ♂ | Given | *Drit | - | Drit | - | A dright, a band of fighters, a folk; or a leader. |
dūn | ♂ | Lastname | Dun | don | Dun | dun | A down, dune, a hill. (The -don shape is often blended with -den, meaning a “dene" or “hollow”, as in names like Snowdon/Snowden.) |
dunn | ♂ | Given | Dun | - | Dun | - | Dun, dark, brown, or black. |
dūru | ♂ | Lastname | Dur | - | Dur | - | A door, an opening. |
ēad | ⚥ | Given | Ed | - | Ed | - | Wealth, riches, a gift, or happiness. |
eald | ⚥ | Given | Al[d] | - | Al[d] | - | Old, elderly; wise, learned. |
ealh | ⚥ | Given | Al[k] | - | Al[k] | - | A holyhall, shelter. |
ēan | ⚥ | Given | *Ean | - | Ean | - | To yean, eke, breed, yield, or bloom. |
earn | ♂ | Given | Ern | - | Ern | - | An erne; bird; seabird; or flight. |
ēast | ⚥ | Lastname | East | - | East | - | East, shining, the rising sun. |
ēaster | ⚥ | Given | Easter | - | Easter | - | The god of yeaning, the rising sun in the East. |
eċġ | ⚥ | Given | Eg | - | Eg | - | An edge, sword, or smart, sharp. |
ediṡċ | ⚥ | Lastname | - | dish | - | disc | Eddish, aftermath, mown grass, or feeding grass, a meadow. |
eofer | ⚥ | Lastname | Ever | - | Efer | - | A boar. |
eoh | ⚥ | Given | *E | - | E | - | A horse, or horse-rider. |
eorcon | ⚥ | Given | *Erken | - | Erken | - | Shining, or dear, or great, or the god Tiw. |
eorl | ♂ | Lastname | Earl | - | Earl | - | An earl, a man of high standing. |
eormen | ⚥ | Given | *Ermen | - | Ermen | - | Great, strong, or endless, or the god Woden. (Armin, as found in the name Irminsul, “the World Tree”, was also likely a nickname for the god Woden. The Norse name for the World Tree, Yggdrasil, comes from Ygg’s- “Woden’s” -drasil “horse/hanging-tree”.) |
eorp | ♂ | Given | Erp | - | Erp | - | Swarthy, or brown. |
eorþe | ♂ | Given | Ard | - | Ard | - | Earth, land, homeland. |
fæġer | ⚥ | Lastname | Fair | - | Fair | - | Fair, handsome, light. |
fær | ⚥ | Given | Far | [f/v]are | Far | [f]fare | To fare, wander. |
fæst | ⚥ | Given | *Fast | - | Fast | - | Fast, set, strong, true. |
fearn | ♂ | Lastname | Fern | - | Fern | - | A fern (the leafy wort). |
feax | ⚥ | Given | - | fax | - | fax | Hair, locks. |
fela | ⚥ | Given | *Fel | - | Fel | - | Fele, much, many. |
feld | ♂ | Given | Field | [f/v]ield | Feeld | [f]feeld | A field, croft, lea. |
fenn | ♂ | Lastname | Fen | - | Fen | - | A fen, a marshland. |
ferhþ | ♂ | Given | *Ferth | *[f/v]erth | Ferth | [f]ferth | Mind, soul, heart. |
flǣd | ♀ | Given | Fled | [f/v]led | Fled | [f]fled | Fair, pretty, beloved. |
flēot | ⚥ | Lastname | Fleet | - | Fleet | - | Floating; or a fleet of ships; a harbour; a sailor. |
folc | ⚥ | Given | *Folk | [f/v]olk | Folk | [f]folk | The folk, theed, one’s kinsmen. |
ford | ♂ | Lastname | Ford | [f/v]ord | Ford | [f]ford | A ford, water-faring. |
frēa | ♂ | Given | *Fre | *[f/v]rey | Fre | [f]frey | A lord, or the god of yeaning Frey Ingwin. |
frenc | ♂ | Lastname | Frank | - | Frank | - | A Frank; being frank (free), or a freeman. |
frēo | ♂ | Given | Free | - | Free | - | Free, frithful, or beholden to no one. |
friþ | ⚥ | Given | Frith | [f/v]rith | Frith | [f]frith | Free, frithful; sheltered. |
frōd | ♂ | Given | *Frod | - | Frod | - | Frood, old, wise, learned. |
frost | ♂ | Lastname | Frost | - | Frost | - | Frosty, wintry; cold; white-haired. |
fugol | ♂ | Lastname | Ful | - | Ful | - | A fowl, or any bird. |
full | ♂ | Given | Ful | - | Ful | - | Full, whole. |
fūs | ⚥ | Given | - | *[f/v]ouse | - | [f]fuse | Fouse, keen, bold, ready. |
gād | ♂ | Given | Gad | - | Gad | - | A gad, a gore, a spear, or a sharp stick. |
gang | ♂ | Given | Gang | gang | Gang | gang | To go, to fare. (As in a gangway.) |
gār | ⚥ | Given | Gar | gar | Gar | gar | A gore, spear; or any three-sided thing. |
ġēan | ⚥ | Given | *Yen | - | Yen | - | To go; or go back again. (The 'hard g' in again was likely shaped by Norse inflow.) |
ġeard | ⚥ | Both | Yard | [y]ard | Yard | [y]ard | A yard, field, or the stakes that bind them. (‘Yard’ shares its spring with the word ‘garđr’ (which also yields English ’garth’) in ON Miđgarđr “Middle-Yard” or “Middle-Earth”.) |
ġēat | ⚥ | Given | *Yet | *yet | Yet | yet | A Geat, a Goth. (The ‘hard g’ found at the start of the living English word for gate was shaped by inflow from Old Norse.) |
ġeld | ♀ | Given | *Yild | *[y]eld | Yild | [y]eld | Golden, gilded, worthy, or yielding. (The ‘hard g’ found at the start of the living English word for gold/gild was shaped by inflow from Old Norse.) |
ġeong | ⚥ | Given | *Young | - | Yung | - | Young, new, youthful. |
ġifu | ♀ | Given | - | *[y]ive | - | [y]ife | A gift. (The ‘hard g’ found at the start of the living word was shaped by inflow from Old Norse.) |
ġīls | ⚥ | Given | *Yils | *[y]ils | Yils | [y]ils | See: ġīsel. |
ġīsel | ⚥ | Given | *Yisel | *[y]isl | Yisel | [y]isl | A guest, or someone held in oath. (A ġīsel in Anglo-Saxon times was often a child of a king or lord held in trust against another.) |
glæd | ⚥ | Lastname | Glad | - | Glad | - | Glad; shining; blessed. |
god | ⚥ | Given | God | - | God | - | A god, or the God (Yahweh). |
gōd | ⚥ | Given | Good | good | Good | good | Good, worthy; a gift. |
gold | ⚥ | Given | Gold | - | Gold | - | Golden, gilded, worthy; yellow-haired. |
græs | ⚥ | Lastname | Gres | - | Gres | - | Grass, or an open field. |
grāf | ⚥ | Lastname | Graf | - | Graf | - | A grove; green; blossoming. |
grim | ♂ | Given | Grim | grim | Grim | grim | A grime (a shroud for someone’s looker), grimy (something shrouded, often with filth). |
grund | ♂ | Lastname | Gra | - | Gra | - | Ground, crushed, grit. |
gūþ | ⚥ | Given | *Guth | *[g]uth | Guth | [g]uth | A fight, a fighter, or fightlock. (As in Guthlock.) |
gȳþ | ♀ | Given | - | [g]ith | - | [g]ith | A fight, a fighter, or fightlock. (As in Edith.) |
hād | ⚥ | Given | - | *[h]ood | - | [h]ood | A kind, a way of being (-hood). |
hǣlþ | ⚥ | Given | *Hal | - | Hal | - | Healthy, whole. |
hǣst | ♂ | Given | *Hest | - | Hest | - | Anger, storm, madness. |
hǣþ | ♂ | Given | Hath | [h]eath | Hath | [h]eath | A heather shrub, a heath; or wild lands. |
hǣþen | ♂ | Lastname | Heathen | - | Heathen | - | A heathen, believer in the old gods; or wild. |
hāliġ | ⚥ | Lastname | Holy | - | Holy | - | Holy, godly. |
hām | ♂ | Lastname | Ham | [h]am | Ham | [h]am | A home, an abode, homestead, or town. |
hamel | ♂ | Lastname | Hamil | - | Hamil | - | Broken, rough. |
hand | ♂ | Given | Hand | *[h]and | Hand | [h]and | Hand; strength; shelter; leadership. |
hār | ♂ | Given | Hor | - | Hor | - | Hoary (grey, old, wise; beloved). |
hara | ♂ | Lastname | Hare | - | Hare | - | A hare, coney, bunny. |
hēafod | ♂ | Given | Head | [h]ead | Head | [h]ead | Head, hair, mind, soul. |
hēah | ♂ | Given | Hey | *[h]ey | Hey | [ey] | High, above, leaderly, beloved. |
heald | ♂ | Given | Hold | [h]old | Hold | [h]old | To hold; or friendly; or watchful. |
healf | ♂ | Given | Half | - | Half | - | Half, split. |
heall | ♂ | Lastname | Hall | [h]all | Hall | [h]all | A hall, a building, an abode. |
heard | ♂ | Given | Hard | hard | Hard | hard | Hard, strong, stern, leaderly. |
heaþu | ♀ | Given | *Hath | - | *Hath | - | A fight, a fighter, or fightlock. |
heġ | ⚥ | Lastname | Hay | - | Hay | - | Hay, grass, fodder. |
helm | ⚥ | Given | Helm | [h]elm | Helm | [h]elm | Helm, shelter, shielding, harweed. |
help | ⚥ | Given | *Help | - | Help | - | Help, uplifting. |
heorot | ♂ | Lastname | Hart | - | Hart | - | A hart, stag, roe deer. |
heoru | ♂ | Given | *Her | - | Her | - | A sword, an edge, or sharpness. |
here | ⚥ | Given | Har | *[h]er | Har | [h]er | A here (a body of fighters). |
hierde | ⚥ | Lastname | - | [h]erd | - | [h]erd | A herder, a shepherd. |
hild | ⚥ | Given | Hild | [h]ild | Hild | [h]ild | A fight, hild, a fighter, or fightlock. |
hlǣw | ♂ | Lastname | Low | low | Low | low | A low (a hill). |
hlūd | ♂ | Given | *Lud | - | Lud | - | Loud (well-heard, or well-known). |
hlyn | ♂ | Lastname | Lin | - | Lin | - | A maple tree. |
hol | ⚥ | Lastname | Hol | - | Hol | - | A hole, a hollow; deep. |
holm | ♂ | Given | Holm* | Holm* | - | A sea, the sea; a wave; a stream. (The everyday word, ‘holm’, to mean ‘island’, comes from the Norse kinword.) | |
horh | ⚥ | Lastname | Hor | - | Hor | - | Hore (earth, mud), filth, unclean. |
hors | ⚥ | Given | *Horse | - | Horse | - | |
hræfn | ♂ | Given | Ren | *ren | Ren | ren | A raven; watchful; foreboding. |
hramsan | ⚥ | Lastname | Ram | - | Ram | - | Ramsons, wild garlic. |
hrēod | ♂ | Lastname | Rid | - | Rid | - | Reed, rush (watery grass). |
hrōþ | ♂ | Given | Roth | roth | Roth | roth | Great, well-known, beloved. |
hryċġ | ♂ | Lastname | Ridge | ridge | Ricg | ricg | A ridge, row of hills, or a spine. |
hūn | ⚥ | Given | *Hun | *[h]oun | Hun | [h]une | A young bear, or a child. |
hunt | ⚥ | Lastname | Hunt | - | Hunt | - | A hunter, or hound, wolf. |
hwæt | ♂ | Given | What | - | Hwat | - | Quick, lively; bold. |
hwǣte | ♂ | Lastname | Wheat | - | Hweat | - | Wheat; or any corn. |
hwīt | ⚥ | Given | Whit | whit | Hwit | hwit | White, shining, bright, fair, beloved. |
hyġe | ♂ | Given | Hy | - | Hy | - | High, thought, understanding, mindful. (As in Ođinn’s raven, ‘Huginn’.) |
hyll | ♂ | Lastname | Hill | [h]ill | Hill | [h]ill | A hill (a down, mound or barrow). |
hyse | ♂ | Given | His | [h]is | His | [h]is | A young man, a fighter. |
hȳþ | ⚥ | Given | *Hy | eth | Hy | eth | A hithe, haven, wharf. |
iċ | ⚥ | Given | - | ich | - | ic | I, the self, awareness. |
īeġ | ⚥ | Lastname | Ey | ey | Ey | ey | An island. (The “s” spelling in “island” was put in by writers who mistakenly likened the word to the Latin word “isle”.) |
ing | ♂ | Given | - | ing | - | ing | Belonging to, or a child of. |
Ing(wine) | ♂ | Given | Ing | - | Ing | - | The god Frey (Lord) Ingwin. Yeanful, bearing. |
īren | ♂ | Given | Iron | iron | Iron | iron | Iron, hard, strong, steadfast. |
īsen | ♂ | Given | *Isen | - | *Isen | - | See: īren. An early shape of the word ‘iron’. |
lāc | ♂ | Given | Lock | lock | Lock | lock | A godly gift, or beloved, or playful, or a deed or way of being (as in wedlock). |
lāf | ♂ | Given | La[f/v] | lof | Laf[f] | lof | Who is left, an afterbear, a follower, an erve. |
land | ♂ | Lastname | Land | land | Land | land | Land, earth, a folkdom. |
lang | ♂ | Lastname | Lang | - | Lang | - | Long, tall. |
lēac | ⚥ | Lastname | Lay | - | Lay | - | A leek (the spring, greens). |
lēah | ⚥ | Lastname | Le | ley | Le | ley | A lea, field. |
lēod | ♂ | Given | *Led | - | Led | - | The lede, folk, theed; or a kinsman. |
lēof | ⚥ | Given | Le | leaf | Le | leaf | Lief, beloved, dear, a leman. |
lid | ♂ | Given | *Lid | lid | Lid | lid | To lithe; a wayfarer/seafarer; or a ship or wain. |
līn | ♂ | Lastname | Lin | - | Lin | - | Linen, flax; a line. |
lind | ♂ | Lastname | Lin | - | Lin | - | A linden (lime) tree; or weak. |
locc | ⚥ | Lastname | - | lock | - | lock | A lock of hair. |
lufu | ♀ | Given | - | *love | - | luf | Beloved, fair, lovely. |
mǣd | ⚥ | Lastname | Med | - | Med | - | A meadow. |
mæġen | ♂ | Given | Main | - | Main | - | Main, mighty, great. |
mǣr | ♂ | Given | Mer | mer | Mer | mer | Mere (great, well-known, couth). (Not tied to the Anglo-French word ‘mere’, meaning ‘only’.) |
mǣre | ♂ | Lastname | Mar | - | Mar | - | A mark, hem, edge. |
mæþel | ♂ | Given | *Mathel | - | Mathel | - | Meetly, talkative, friendly, bringing together. |
mann | ♂ | Given | Man | man | Man | man | A man (werely or wifely); a fighter; strong. |
marṡċ | ♂ | Lastname | Mars | - | Mars | - | A marsh. |
mearc | ♂ | Lastname | Mark | - | Mark | - | A mark, hem, edge; a spot. |
mearþ | ♂ | Given | Mar | - | Mar | - | A weasel. |
Mere | ⚥ | Given | Mar | more | Mar | more | A mere (sea, stream, or any body of water). |
Mere [2] | ♀ | Other | *Mer | - | Mer | - | A mere (wifely horse). |
miht | ⚥ | Given | *Mit | - | Mit | - | Mighty, great, strong; beloved. |
mild | ♀ | Given | Mild | - | Mild | - | Mild, soft, mellow. |
miriġe | ⚥ | Lastname | Merry | - | Merry | - | Merry, sweet, gladly. |
mōd | ♂ | Given | *Mod | mood | Mod | mood | Mood, soul, mind, heart. |
mōna | ⚥ | Lastname | Mon | - | Mon | - | The Moon. |
mōr | ♂ | Given | Mor | - | Mor | - | A moor, fen, marsh, swamp. |
mūnd | ♂ | Given | Mound | mund | Mund | mund | A mound, march, shelter, hand, strength. |
mȳþe | ♂ | Lastname | My | - | My | - | The mouth of a stream. |
nēah | ⚥ | Lastname | - | ney | - | ney | Nigh, near; or an island. |
nēowe | ♂ | Lastname | New | - | New | - | New, young. |
nīþ | ♂ | Given | Nith | *nithe | Nith | nithe | Nithe, hatred. |
norþ | ♂ | Lastname | North | - | North | - | North. |
nōþ | ⚥ | Given | *Noth | noth | Noth | noth | Bold, daring, ready. |
ōht | ♂ | Given | *Ot | - | Ot | - | Fear, foe, doom, weird. |
ōra | ♂ | Lastname | - | or | - | or | Muddy earth, an edge, or a shelf of land. |
ord | ♂ | Given | Ord | - | Ord | - | An ord, a spear-tip. |
ōs | ⚥ | Given | Os | - | Os | - | One of the gods (Ese), the god Woden, or speech. (Ese is the English kin to the Norse word Æsir. The word Os is also linked with speech (maybe through folk wordlore, thanks to Latin) and with Woden, the god of words and wisdom.) |
pīl | ♂ | Lastname | Pil | - | Pil | - | A pile, spike, spear, arrow. |
pinn | ♂ | Lastname | Pen | - | Pen | - | A pin, something stuck out, such as a cliff or ridge. |
pleġ | ♂ | Lastname | Play | - | Play | - | Playing, quick, lively. |
port | ⚥ | Lastname | - | port | - | port | A port, a haven. |
rǣd | ⚥ | Given | Red | red | Red | red | Rede, reading, telling, understanding, wisdom. |
rǣw | ♂ | Lastname | - | row | - | row | A row, string. |
rāhā | ♂ | Lastname | Ray | - | Ray | - | A roe deer. |
ramm | ♂ | Lastname | Ram | - | Ram | - | A ram, a sheep. |
rand | ♂ | Given | Rand | *rand | Rand | rand | A rand, an edge, a shield-rim. |
rēad | ⚥ | Lastname | Red | red | Red | red | Red, ruddy; fiery. |
reġn | ♂ | Given | Rain | - | Rain | - | To set right; to lead; to give rede or reading. |
rīċ | ♂ | Given | Rich | rich | Ric | ric | Rich, wealthy, leaderly; a leader. |
rōse | ♀ | Lastname | Rose | - | Rose | - | A rose blossom. |
rud | ♂ | Lastname | Rud | - | Rud | - | A rudd fish; ruddy, red. |
rūh | ♂ | Lastname | Row | - | Rug | - | Rough, furrowed. |
rūn | ♀ | Given | *Roun | roun | Rune | rune | Rouns, the unknown, riddle, understanding. (The rouns, or ‘runes’, were seemingly otherwordly markings that came to the English before the Latin staffrow. Roun means “something hidden”.) |
ryġe | ⚥ | Lastname | Ry- | - | Ry- | - | Rye corn/grass. |
ryṡċ | ♂ | Lastname | Rush | - | Rusc | - | Rush (marsh-grass). |
sǣ | ⚥ | Given | Sea | sea | Sea | sea | The sea, or any body of water. |
sǣte | ⚥ | Lastname | - | set | - | set | A settle, a seat; a house, home, abode, or any settled land. (See also: setl.) |
sām | ⚥ | Given | Sam | - | Sam | - | Half, split. |
sand | ♂ | Lastname | Sand | sand | Sand | sand | Sand, grit. |
ṡċeaft | ♂ | Given | Shaft | - | Scaft | - | A shaft, spear; something made; or something to make with. |
ṡċeaga | ♂ | Lastname | - | shaw | - | scaw | Shaw, thicket. |
ṡċealc | ♂ | Given | Shalk | -shalk | Scalk | scalk | A shalk, man, fellow, helper, sailor, fighter. (A shalk in olden times could be a bondman or a man of low standing who might work or go to fight.) |
ṡċēap | ♂ | Lastname | Shep | - | Scep | - | Sheep, lamb; shy; weak. |
ṡċeran | ⚥ | Lastname | Sher | - | Scer | - | To sheer, cut. |
ṡċio | ⚥ | Given | - | shoe | - | scoe | A shoe, clothing, sheath. |
ṡċīr | ⚥ | Given | Sher | - | Scer | - | Sheer, shining, bright, fair, white, beloved. |
ṡċylf | ⚥ | Lastname | Shel | - | Scel | - | A shelf, slope, floor. |
sealh | ⚥ | Lastname | Sel | - | Sel | - | A sallow (willow tree); yellow; sickly. |
seax | ⚥ | Given | Sax | sex | Sax | sex | A sax knife, sword, or a Saxon. |
sele | ⚥ | Given | Sel | - | Sel | - | A great hall or house. |
seolh | ⚥ | Lastname | Sel | - | Sel | - | A seal (the living being of land and sea). |
setl | ♂ | Lastname | - | set | - | set | A settle, a seat; a house, home, abode, or any settled land. (See also: sǣte.) |
sīde | ⚥ | Given | Sid | - | Sid | - | Side, edge, long, wide. |
siġe | ⚥ | Given | Si | sey | Si | sey | Sey, winning, shining. |
sīþ | ♂ | Given | *Sith | *sithe | Sith | sithe | Wayfaring, outing, wandering. |
smēþe | ⚥ | Lastname | Smed | - | Smed | - | Smooth, calm, mindful. |
smiþ | ♂ | Lastname | Smith | smith | Smith | smith | A smith, craftsman. |
snāw | ⚥ | Lastname | Snow | - | Snow | - | Snow, white, fair, or cold, wintry. |
stæf | ♂ | Given | Sta[f/v] | staff | Staf[f] | staff | A staff (a stick, rod, pole; a straight line, bookstaff). |
stān | ♂ | Given | Stan | stan | Stan | stan | A stone; hard, strong, steadfast. |
stede | ♂ | Lastname | Stead | stead | Stead | stead | A stead (settled land, such as an abode, town); steadfast. |
stī | ♂ | Lastname | Ste | - | Ste | - | A sty (house, hall). (As in a pig sty, or a steward.) |
stīrc | ♂ | Lastname | Strick | - | Strick | - | A stirk (steer, bull). |
stocc | ♂ | Lastname | Stock | stock | Stock | stock | A stock, tree stump, or stead. |
stōw | ⚥ | Lastname | - | stow | - | stow | A spot to stow something; a stead. |
strǣt | ♂ | Lastname | Strat | - | Strat | - | A street, road, way. |
sumer | ⚥ | Given | Summer | - | Summer | - | Summer, warm, sunny. |
sunne | ♀ | Lastname | Sun | - | Sun | - | The sun; bright, shining. |
sunu | ♂ | Given | - | son | - | sun | A son of. |
sūþ | ♂ | Lastname | South | - | Suth | - | South. |
swan | ♂ | Lastname | Swan | - | Swan | - | A swan. |
swefn | ♂ | Given | Swe[f/v] | - | Swef[f] | - | Asweve (asleep, dead). |
swīn | ♂ | Lastname | Swin | - | Swin | - | A swine, pig, boar. |
swīþ | ⚥ | Given | *Swith | *swith | Swith | swith | Swithe (true, strong), healthy. |
tīd | ⚥ | Given | *Tid | - | Tid | - | Tide, time, happening. |
til | ♂ | Given | Til | - | Til | - | Tilled, good, fit. (As in, tilled earth is ready to seed.) |
Tīr- | ♂ | Given | Tir | - | Tir | - | See: Tīw. (A late borrowing into Old English from Old Norse.) |
Tīw | ♂ | Given | Tue | - | Tew | - | Shining, beloved, great, the one-handed god, Tue/Tew. (‘Tue/Tew’ comes from a word meaning “shining one”, springing from the same word as deity, Deus and Zeus.) |
torht | ⚥ | Given | *Tort | - | Tort | - | Bright, shining, beloved, watchful. |
trēow | ♂ | Lastname | Trow | - | Trow | - | A tree, tall, strong. |
trīewe | ♂ | Lastname | Given | Given | Trew | trew | True , trustworthy, troth. |
trym | ♂ | Given | Trim | - | Trim | - | Trim, fit, strong, sound. |
tūn | ♂ | Both | *Tun | ton | Tun[e] | tun | A town, an abode, or a yard. |
twīġe | ♂ | Lastname | Twy | - | Twy | - | Twice, two, a twin. |
ūht | ♂ | Given | *Ut | *out | Ute | ute | Dawn, dusk, twilight, daybreak. |
upp | ♂ | Lastname | Up | - | Up | - | Up, above. |
wacu | ⚥ | Given | Wake | - | Wake | - | Awake, watchful, lively. |
wad | ⚥ | Lastname | Wad | - | Wad | - | To wade, wayfare, or water, or the god Wade. |
wād | ⚥ | Lastname | Od | - | Od | - | Woad, blue. |
wæl | ⚥ | Given | *Wal | - | Wal | - | Death, slaughter. (‘Wal’ is found in words such as Woden’s Walhall “hall of the slain” and Walkyries “choosers of the slain”. |
wæter | ⚥ | Lastname | Water | water | Water | water | Water, sea, steam, flow. |
wald | ♂ | Lastname | Wald | [w]ald | Wald | [w]ald | A wold (woodland). |
wand | ⚥ | Given | *Wand | - | Wand | - | To wander, wayfare, or wend (go; shift). |
waru | ♀ | Given | War | *[w]are | War | [w]are | Aware, watchful, wise. |
wealc | ♂ | Lastname | Walk | - | Walk | - | To walk, tread, step, fare. |
weald | ♂ | Given | Wald | [w]ald | Wald | [w]ald | Wielding, strength, leadership, lordly. |
wealh | ⚥ | Given | Wel | *[w]el | Wel | [w]el | Welsh, an outsider, or bondman. (Welsh was a word once borne for any un-Germanic outsider, not only the Welsh folkdom of today. It was often borne in a way of ill-will.) |
weard | ♂ | Given | Ward | [w]ard | Ward | [w]ard | A ward, watchman, keeper, leader, lord, or strong. |
weġ | ♂ | Given | Way | [w]ay | Way | [w]ay | A way, road, or to wayfare, wander. |
wel | ⚥ | Lastname | Wel | - | Wel | - | Well, good, fit, strong. |
weliġ | ♂ | Lastname | Wil | - | Wil | - | A willow tree; tall; strong. |
wēoh | ♂ | Given | *Wee | - | Wee | - | Blessed, hallowed, the soul. (One of the three shapes that make up the All-father: Wode (see Wod-), Will (see Wil-) and Wee. As in Ođinn, Vili & Vē.) |
wer | ♂ | Lastname | War | - | War | - | A weir (dam). |
west | ♂ | Lastname | West | - | West | - | West; the setting sun. |
wiċ | ♂ | Lastname | Wick | [w]ick | Wick | [w]ick | A wick, town, abode, homestead; or haven, bay. |
wīd | ♂ | Given | Wid | [w]ide | Wid | [w]ide | Wide, far. |
wīf | ♀ | Given | - | *[w]ife | - | [w]ife | Wife, woman, lady. (A wife in olden times meant the same as ‘woman’ or ‘lady’ does today. ‘Woman’ is a shortening of ‘wife-man’, where ‘man’ means our kind as a whole, and our other half is a ‘weapon-man’ or ‘were-man’.) |
wīġ | ⚥ | Given | Wy | [w]y | Wy | [w]y | A fight, a fighter; or fightlock, wye. |
wiht | ⚥ | Given | *Wit | [w]ight | Wit | [w]igt | A wight, an elf; ghost; a man; or any living being. |
wilde | ♂ | Given | Wild | [w]ild | Wild | [w]ild | Wild, free, carefree, unbroken. |
will | ⚥ | Given | Wil | - | Wil | - | Will (to wish, to yearn). (One of the three shapes that make up the All-father: Wode (see Wod-), Will and Wee (see Wee-). As in Ođinn, Vili & Vē.) |
wille | ♂ | Lastname | Wel | - | Wel | - | A well, spring, or stream. |
wine | ⚥ | Given | Win | [w]in | Win | [w]in | Winner, friendly, or work, or wishfulness, or gladness. (Blended with the womanly OE word ‘wynn’. ‘Win’ springs from an old word which split into sundry meanings, the main being “to wish”.) See also: wynn. |
winter | ♂ | Lastname | Went | - | Went | - | Winter, cold, dark. |
wīs | ⚥ | Given | - | *[w]ise | - | [w]ise | Wise, smart, or a way of being. |
wiþig | ♂ | Lastname | Wi[n] | - | Wi[n] | - | A withy (a willow-tree). |
wōd | ⚥ | Given | *Wod | - | Wod | - | Wood (madness, insight); song; the god Woden. (‘Wode’, meaning “madness” or “insight”, springs from the like word as the name of the god Woden/Ođinn. One of the three shapes that make up the All-father: Wode, Will (see Wil-) and Wee (see Wee-). As in Ođinn, Vili & Vē.) |
worþ | ♂ | Lastname | - | [w]orth | - | [w]orth | A yard, tilled land, homestead. |
wudu | ♂ | Lastname | Wood | [w]ood | Wood | [w]ood | Woods, woodland. |
wulf | ⚥ | Given | Wol[f/v] | [w]olf | Wolf[f] | [w]olf | A wolf, hound; or a hunter. |
wynn | ⚥ | Given | Win | [w]in | Win | [w]in | See: wine. |
þanc | ♂ | Given | Thank | thank | Thank | thank | To think, thoughtful, thankful, mindful, smart. |
þeġn | ♂ | Given | Thane | thane | Thane | thane | A thane, leader, fighter, man. (A thane in Anglo-Saxon times was a free man of high standing. He was often a leader of fighting men.) |
þēod | ⚥ | Given | *Thed | - | Thed | - | The theed, folk, lede, kinsmen, homeland. |
þēow | ♂ | Given | Thew | *thew | Thew | thew | A thew, worker, helper, bondman. (A thew in Anglo-Saxon times was a lowly working bondman, owned by another man.) |
þing | ♂ | Given | Thing | - | Thing | - | A thing, being, self, or deed, or meeting (as in, ‘a moot’ is akin to ‘the thing’). |
þorn | ♂ | Lastname | Thorn | - | Thorn | - | A thorn, spiked bush, or rough. |
þorp | ♂ | Lastname | Thorp | thorp | Thorp | thorp | A thorp, town, or throng; one who brings together. |
þrīst | ♂ | Given | - | *thrist | - | thrist | Bold, daring. |
þrȳþ | ⚥ | Given | *Thrith | thrith | Thrith | thrith | Thrith, strength, the god and daughter of the Thunder god. (Thrith in Germanic folklore is a god born from the god of Thunder [Thor] and his wife, Sib [Sif].) |
þuner | ♂ | Given | Thur | - | Thur | - | The weather, thunder; or the god of Thunder (Thor) and the working man. |
þur | ♂ | Given | Thur | - | Thur | - | See: þuner. (A late borrowing into Old English from Old Norse.) |
Groundwork
Addison, WA 1978, Understanding English Surnames, Batsford, London.
Arthur, W 1857, An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names: With an Essay on Their Derivation and Import, Sheldon, Blakeman & Co, New York.
Bolton, L 2009, The Complete Book of Baby Names, Sourcebook, Naperville.
Browne, WAF, Reaney, PH & Wilson, RM 1991, A Dictionary of English Surnames, Routledge, London & New York.
Bush, R 1994, Somerset: The Complete Guide, Dovecote Press, Wimbourne, pp. 184–185.
Campbell, M 1996, Behind the Name, opened 26 Dec 2019 <https://www.behindthename.com/>.
Colman, F 2014, The Grammar of Names in Anglo-Saxon England: the linguistics and culture of Old English onomasticon, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Crist, S 2001, Bosworth-Toller Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, Faculty of Arts, Charles University in Prague, opened 4 Nov 2017 <http://www.bosworthtoller.com>.
Erwin, P 2006, ‘Children’s evaluative stereotypes of masculine, feminine and androgynous first names’, The Psychological Record, vol. 56, pp. 513-519.
Find A Grave.com, digital images (http://www.findagrave.com: opened 13 Jan 2018), photograph by Allen & Cindy Atha, gravestone for Alfrich Heap of Birds (1869-1922), Find A Grave Memorial #84359380, Clinton, Oklahoma.
<https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/84359380/alfrich-heap_of_birds>
Forssner, T 1916, Continental-Germanic Personal Names in English in Old and Middle Times, University of Uppsala, Uppsala.
Hanks, P, Hardcastle, K & Hodges, F 2006, A Dictionary of First Names, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Hanks, P, Coates, R & McClure, P 2016, The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Harper, D 2001, Online Etymology Dictionary, opened 4 Nov 2017 <http://www.etymonline.com>.
Harrison, H 1918, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary, The Morland Press London.
King’s College London 2010, Prosopography Of Anglo-Saxon England, opened 4 Nov 2017 <http://www.pase.ac.uk>.
Marshall, L 2007, Myths and Legends of All Nations, Project Gutenberg.
Mills, A D 2003, A Dictionary of British Place-Names, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
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Pfaff, J 2004, Nordic Names Wiki - The Comprehensive Site On Scandinavian First Names, opened 4 Nov 2017 <https://www.nordicnames.de>.
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Pulgram, E 1960, ‘New Evidence on Indo-European Names’, Language, vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 198-202.
Reaney PH 1967, The Origin of English Surnames, Routledge, London & New York.
Reaney, PH & Wilson, RM 1995, A Dictionary of English Surnames: The Standard Guide to English Surnames, Oxford, Oxford.
Redit, M 1919, Studies on Uncompounded Personal Names in Old English, University of Uppsala, Uppsala.
Robinson, C 2022. Puritan baby names of the 17th century, opened 13 June 2022 <https://marybarrettdyer.blogspot.com/2013/01/puritan-baby-names-of-17th-century.html>.
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Yonge, CM 1863, History of Christian Names, Parker and Bourne, London.
Welsh Names
English names of Welsh, or, 'Insular Celtic' spring, which were found in Old English. [This list may have names which came into English at later times, and which need pruning.]
Name | Kind | Forebear | Background |
---|---|---|---|
Aidan | ♂ | Aodhán, Aodhàn, Aeddan | Also: Aiden; From Old Irish Áed "fire" + diminutive suffix |
Aisling | ♀ | aisling | Also: Aislinn, Aislin, Ashling, Ashlyn; A name created in the 20th century meaning "dream, vision", from the poetic genre's name |
Alistair | ♂ | Alasdair | Also: Alister, Allister, Alastair; Scottish form of Alexander, from Greek ἀλέξω (alexo) "to defend, help" + ἀνήρ (aner) "man" (genitive ἀνδρός) |
Angus | ♂ | Aonghas, Aonghus, Oíngus, Óengus | Possibly from Old Irish óen "one" + guss "force, strength" |
Arthur | ♂ | Arthur | Alternatively from Latin Artorius? Possibly from Proto-Celtic *artos "bear" + *wiros "man" or *rīxs "king" |
Barry | ♂ | Báire, Bairrfhionn, Fionnbharr | Bairrfhionn and Fionnbharr are both derived from Old Irish finn "white, fair" + barr "top, head" |
Blaine | ♂ | Bláan | From Old Irish blá "yellow" + diminutive suffix |
Brady | ♂ | Ó Brádaigh, Brádach | Also: Braidy |
Brian | ♂ | Brian | Also: Bryan, Bryant, Bryant; Possibly from Proto-Celtic *brixs "hill, high" or related *brigā "might, power" |
Brianna | ♀ | Brian | Also: Breanna |
Bridget | ♀ | Brighid, Brigit | Also: Brigitte, Brigitta, Brigid; From Proto-Celtic *Brigantī "the exalted one" |
Brodie | ♂ | Brodie | Also: Brody; A place in Moray, Scotland; It probably means "ditch, mire" in Gaelic |
Bronte | ⚥ | Ó Proinntigh | Possibly from Irish bronntach "generous" |
Cadmon | ♂ | Cædmon | The first element is likely connected to Brythonic kad "battle" |
Caelan | ⚥ | Caolán or Caoilfhionn | Caolán is from Old Irish cáel "slender" + diminutive suffix while Caoilfhionn is from Old Irish cáel "slender" + finn "fair, white" |
Calum | ♂ | Calum | Also: Callum; Scottish form of Columba, from Saint Columba |
Cameron | ⚥ | cam sròn or cam abhainn | Also: Camron, Camryn, Kameron, Kamryn; From Gaelic cam "crooked" + sròn "nose" |
Carey | ⚥ | See Note | This comes from 9 different patronymics in Ireland like Ó Ciardha |
Casey | ⚥ | Ó Cathasaigh, Cathassach | Also: Kacey, Kasey, Kaycee; Means "vigilant" in Irish |
Cassidy | ⚥ | Ó Caiside, Caiside | Also: Kassidy; Irish byname meaning "curly-haired" from Irish cas "twisted, curly". |
Clyde | ♂ | Clud | From the name of the River Clyde in Scotland, from Cumbric Clud, which is of uncertain origin |
Cody | ♂ | Ó Cuidighthigh and Mac Óda | Also: Codie, Kodie, Kody; Ó Cuidighthigh means "descendant of the helpful one" and Mac Óda means "son of Odo" |
Colin | ♂ | Cuilen, Cailean, Coileáin | Also: Collin; Cailean means "whelp, young dog" in Scottish Gaelic |
Colleen | ♀ | cailín | Also: Coleen; Irish cailín means "girl" |
Conan | ♂ | Conán, Cúán | From Irish cú "wolf, hound" + diminutive suffix |
Connell | ♂ | Ó Conaill, Conall | From Old Irish cú "hound, dog, wolf" (genitive con) + fal "rule" |
Connor | ♂ | Conchobhar | Also: Conner, Conor; From Old Irish cú "hound, dog, wolf" (genitive con) + cobar "desiring" |
Craig | ♂ | craeg | Same word as "crag"; Originally a person who lives near a crag |
Darren | ♂ | Darragh, Dáire, Darren | Also: Darin, Darrin; Alternatively, possibly from Norman French d'Airelle (Darrell); The meaning of this name is uncertain |
Declan | ♂ | Deaglán | The meaning of this name is uncertain |
Desmond | ♂ | Deasmhumhain, Ó Deasmhumhnaigh | Deasmhumhain means "south Munster", referring to the region of Desmond in southern Ireland, formerly a kingdom; Ó Deasmhumhnaigh is someone from Desmond |
Devin | ♂ | Ó Damháin or Ó Dubháin | Also: Davin, Devan; Ó Damháin is a patronym for Damhán from Old Irish dam "ox, deer" + diminutive suffix; Ó Dubháin is a patronym for Dubhán from Old Irish dub "dark, black" + diminutive suffix |
Donald | ♂ | Domhnall | Also: Donnell, Donal; From Old Irish elements domun "world" + fal "rule" |
Donovan | ♂ | Ó Donndubháin, Donndubán | Also: Donnovan; Old Irish donn "brown" + dub "dark" + a diminutive suffix |
Douglas | ♂ | Dùbhghlas, Dúghlas | Also: Douglass; From a Scottish surname that was from the name of a town in Lanarkshire, itself named after a tributary of the River Clyde called the Douglas Water, meaning "dark river", derived from Gaelic dubh "dark" + glais "water, river" (an archaic word related to glas "grey, green"). |
Duane | ♂ | Dubhán | Also: Dwayne, Dwain, Dwaine, Devin (some origins); From Old Irish dub "dark, black" + diminutive suffix |
Duncan | ♂ | Donnchadh | From Old Irish donn "brown" + cath "battle" |
Dylan | ♂ | Dylan | Also: Dillon, Dillan, Dyllan; From the Welsh prefix dy "to, toward" + llanw meaning "tide, flow" |
Erin | ♀ | Éireann | Genitive case of the Irish word for Ireland |
Finn | ♂ | Fionn | Also from unrelated Norse name Finnr; Also: Fiona, Viona |
Floyd | ♂ | llwyd | Also: Lloyd; From Welsh llwyd "grey" |
Gavin | ♂ | Gawain, Gwalchmai (?) | From Old Irish finn "fair, white" |
Glenn | ♂ | gleann | From a Scottish surname that was derived from Gaelic gleann "valley" |
Gordon | ♂ | Gòrdan | From a Scottish surname that was originally derived from a place in Berwickshire, itself derived from Brythonic elements meaning "spacious fort" |
Harvey | ♂ | Haerviu | From Breton haer "battle" + viu "worthy" |
Ian | ♂ | Iain | Scottish form of Johannes; kin: John, Johan, Hans, Giovanni, Jean, Juan, Evan, Ivan |
Irving | ♂ | Irbhinn | Also: Irvin, Irvine; From a Scottish surname that was derived from the town of Irvine in North Ayrshire, itself named for the River Irvine, which is derived from Brythonic elements meaning "green water" |
Jennifer | ♀ | Gwynnever | Yennifer in Anglish? From a Cornish form of the Welsh name Gwenhwyfar (Guinevere) meaning "white phantom", ultimately from the Proto-Celtic roots *windos "fair, white, blessed" + *sēbros meaning "phantom, magical being" |
Kane | ♂ | Ó Catháin, Cathán | Also: Keane; Cathán is from Old Irish cath "battle" + a diminutive suffix. |
Keegan | ♂ | Mac Aodhagáin, Aodhagán | Aodhagán is a double diminutive of Aodh from Old Irish Áed "fire" |
Keenan | ♂ | Cianán | From Irish Cian "ancient, enduring" + diminutive suffix |
Keir | ♂ | Ciar | Also: Kier; Names such as Keiran seem to be a diminutive; Names like Keira are feminine; These are from Irish ciar "black" |
Keith | ♂ | Keith | From a Scottish surname that was originally derived from the name of a place in East Lothian, itself possibly derived from the Celtic root *kayto- meaning "wood" |
Kelly | ⚥ | Ceallach, Ó Ceallaigh, Ó Cadhla | From Old Irish Cellach, of uncertain origin, traditionally said to mean "bright-headed"; Alternatively it could be derived from Old Irish cellach "war, strife" or cell "church". |
Kennedy | ⚥ | Cennétig, Ó Cinnéidigh | Also: Kenedi, Kennedi; From Old Irish cenn "head" and étiud "armour, clothing" or étig "ugly, misshapen" |
Kenneth | ♂ | Cainnech and Cináed | From Old Irish name Cainnech, derived from caín meaning "handsome, fair"; Cináed is possibly from Old Irish cin "respect, esteem, affection" or cinid "be born, come into being" combined with áed "fire", though it might actually be of Pictish origin |
Kevin | ♂ | Caoimhín | From Old Irish Cóemgein, composed of cóem "dear, beloved, gentle" and gein "birth" |
Kyle | ♂ | caol | Also: Kyla; From various place names from Gaelic caol "narrows, channel, strait" |
Lachlan | ♂ | Lachlann, Lochlainn | Means "Viking, Scandinavian" from Old Irish Lochlann, a name for Scandinavia, meaning "land of the lakes", derived from loch "lake". |
Leslie | ⚥ | leas celyn | From a Scottish surname that was derived from a place in Aberdeenshire, probably from Gaelic leas celyn meaning "garden of holly" |
Lester | ♂ | Ligora cæster | From the Latin-Welsh town of 'Lester', from Ligora cæster ('chester', an Old English word borrowed from Latin, meaning a Roman stronghold). The Brithonic name's meaning and origin is unknown. |
Lincoln | ♂ | Lindum colonia | From a Latinised name for what was likely an Old Welsh word for 'lake'. See Welsh 'llyn'. Borne by American leader and winner of the American civil war, Abraham Lincoln. |
Lindsay | ⚥ | Lindissi | Also spelled: “Lindsey”. From the Latin-Welsh town of Lincoln, with the Old English word for island, '-eġ'. 'Lincoln Island'. See also: Lincoln. |
Mackenzie | ⚥ | Mac Coinnich, Coinneach | Also: McKenzie, Makenzie; Coinneach is from Old Irish caín "handsome, fair", one of the origins of Kenneth |
Maisie | ♀ | Maisie | Diminutive of Scottish Mairead, a form of Margaret |
Malcolm | ♂ | Máel Coluim, Maol Choluim | "Devotee of Saint Columba" |
Maureen | ♀ | Máirín | Irish diminutive of Mary |
Megan | ♀ | Megan | Also: Meghan; Welsh diminutive of Margaret |
Moira | ♀ | Máire | Irish form of Maria; kin: Mary, Mariam |
Morgan | ⚥ | Morcant and Morgen | Morcant is possibly from Welsh mor "sea" and cant "circle" and Morgen is likely from Old Welsh mor "sea" and the suffix gen "born of" |
Neil | ♂ | Niall | Also: Neill, Nigel, Neale; This name's meaning is unknown; Possibly connected to the Proto-Celtic root *nītu- "fury, passion" or the (possibly related) Old Irish word nia "hero" |
Oscar | ♂ | oss carae | Possibly from Old Irish oss "deer" + carae "friend" |
Owen | ♂ | Owain and Eoghan | Some etymologists consider it to be from Latin Eugenis; Owain could be from Celtic roots *owi- "sheep", *wesu- "good" or *awi- "desire" combined with the Old Welsh suffix gen "born of"; Eoghan possibly means "born from the yew tree", from Old Irish eó "yew" + the suffix gan "born" |
Rhiannon | ♀ | Rhiannon | Also: Rhianna, Rihanna; Probably derived from an unattested Celtic name *Rīgantonā meaning "great queen" (Celtic *rīganī "queen" and the divine or augmentative suffix -on) |
Rory | ⚥ | Ruaidhrí | Also: Rorie; From Old Irish rúad "red" + rí "king" |
Roy | ♂ | Ruadh | Often connected with, though not related to, French roi "king"; From Old Irish rúad "red" |
Ryan | ♂ | Ó Riain, Rian | Also: Rian; Traditionally said to mean "little king", from Irish rí "king" + a diminutive suffix. |
Sean | ♂ | Seán | Irish form of Johannes; Also: Shawn, Shaun, Shayne, Shane; kin: John, Johan, Hans, Giovanni, Jean, Juan, Evan, Ivan |
Shannon | ⚥ | Sionann | Also: Shana, Shannah; From the River Shannon, whose name may be related to Old Irish sen "old, ancient" |
Sheila | ♀ | Síle | Irish form of Cecilia |
Sullivan | ♂ | Ó Súileabháin, Súileabhán | From Irish súil "eye" + dubh "dark, black" + diminutive suffix |
Tara | ♀ | Teamhair | Possibly means "elevated place"; This was the name of the sacred hill near Dublin where the Irish high kings resided |
Tegan | ♀ | Tegan | Also: Teagan; From Welsh teg "fair, pretty" + diminutive suffix |
Trent | ♂ | ??? | From the waterway that flows through Great Britain. A name of unknown spring. |
Trevor | ♂ | Trefor, Trevorrow, Ó Treabhair | From the name of towns in Wales meaning "big village", derived from Middle Welsh tref "village" and maur "large" |
Greek Names
Name | Kind | Forebear | Kin | Background |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ayax | ♂ | Αἴας (Aiāx) | Ajax. | A Greek hero in the tale of the Trojan War. |
Fillip | ♂ | Φίλιππος (Philippos) | Philip, Phil, Filippo, Philippe. | A compound of 'philos' (love) and 'hippos' (horse), meaning: a lover of horses. Spread by early Christians, and brought back in the 1800s. |
Yason | ♂ | Ἰάσων (Iason) | Jason, Giasone. | From a Greek word meaning: healer. Borne by the leader of the Argonauts in the Greek epic. As a Christian name, from the New Testament, it may instead come from a shape of the Hebrew name Yehoshu'a (Joshua). |
Latin Names
Name | Kind | Forebear | Kin | Background |
---|---|---|---|---|
Anton | ♂ | Antonius | Anthony, Tony | Borne by the Roman General Mark Antony (Marcus Antonius), backer of Julius Caesar and member of the Second Triumvirate. Also borne by St Anthony the Great, of the 300s. |
Chester | ♂ | castrum | Shortened to 'Chet'. From a the locational English lastname, Chester, named for towns in England which were once Roman forts. | |
Cristen | ♂ | Christiānus | Christian, Chris, Kris | From the followers of Christendom. The Anglish spelling died out in the 1500s, having being upset by the spelling ‘Christian’. |
Louk | ♂ | Lūcās | Luke, Lucas, Luca. | Anglish Spelling: Luke. A borrowing from Latin, which itself was from Greek Λουκᾶς (Loukas), meaning: from Lucania, Italy. Borne by the Christian Holy, after whom a book of the Bible is named. |
Mark | ♂ | Marcus | Marcus, Marco, Marcellus, Martin | Borne by the Christian Holy, after whom a book of the Bible is named. The element 'Mark' found in English lastnames such as Markham is unrelated and comes from the Old English word mierċe, meaning a border/edge, as in the land of Mercia -- the historical Borderlands between England and Wales, and The Mark from Tolkien's writings. |
Paul | ♂ | Paulum | A leader of the early Christian church. |
Hebrew & Aramaic Names
Name | Kind | Forebear | Kin | Background |
---|---|---|---|---|
Aaron | ♂ | אַהֲרֹן ('Aharon) | ||
Andres | ♂ | Andreas | Andrew, Andre, Andres | |
Barþolomeus | ♂ | Bartholomæus | Bartholomew | |
Benyamin | ♂ | בִּנְיָמִין (Binyamin) | Benjamin, Ben | |
Ewe | ♀ | Eve | ||
Maria | ♀ | Maria | Mary, Mariam | |
Matþeus | ♂ | Matthaeus | Matthew, Mateo | This name wasn't found as a given name in England until the Norman invasion. |
Petrus | ♂ | Petrus | Peter | |
Ruþ | ♀ | רְעוּת (re'ut) | ||
Sara | ♀ | שרה (sará) | ||
Simeen | ♂ | Simeon | Simeon, Simon | |
Simon | ♂ | Simon | Simeon | |
Susanna | ♀ | Susanna | Susan, Sukey | |
Timoþeus | ♂ | Timotheus | Timothy | |
Yacob | ♂ | Iacobus | James, Jacob, Jack, Jacques, Iago, Jeb, Giacomo, Seamus, Jim, Josephine | |
Yames | ♂ | Iacomus | James, Jacob, Jack, Jacques, Iago, Jeb, Giacomo, Seamus, Jim, Josephine | |
Yeshua | ♂ | Ieshua | Joshua, Jesus | Hebrew. |
Yesu | ♂ | יֵשׁוּע (yēšūʿ) | Joshua, Jesus | Aramaic. |
Yohanna | ♀ | Iohanna | Jean, Joan, Johanna, Siobhán, Joana | |
Yohannes | ♂ | Iohannes | John, Johan, Hans, Giovanni, Jean, Juan, Evan, Ian, Ivan | |
Yoodas | ♂ | Ioudas | Judas, Jude | |
Yoode | ♂ | Ioudas | Jude, Judas | |
Þaddeus | ♂ | Thaddaeus | Thaddeus | |
Þomas | ♂ | Θωμάς | Thomas, Tomas |