Anglo-Saxon names are among the oldest layers of English naming history, reaching back to the Germanic tribes who settled Britain between the fifth and eleventh centuries. These names built in a modular way: two meaningful elements snapped together to form a compound with its own sense, so a name like Aethelred carries both “noble” and “counsel” inside it. The result is a naming tradition that is direct, muscular, and surprisingly readable once you know the building blocks.
Many of these names vanished after the Norman Conquest of 1066, when French and Latin fashions swamped the old English stock. A handful never left — Edward and Alfred stayed in continuous use — while others are coming back now, riding the wave of interest in Old English heritage, medieval history, and names that feel genuinely distinctive without being invented. This list covers fifty real Anglo-Saxon given names, grouped by theme and meaning, with the Old English roots laid out for each one.
Noble and Royal Names
The element aethel (noble) appears in more Anglo-Saxon names than almost any other root. These were prestige names, carried by kings, queens, and the families closest to power.
Aethelred
From Old English aethel (noble) and raed (counsel). History knows this name best from Aethelred the Unready, though “unready” is a mistranslation of the Old English pun unraed (ill-counseled) set against his own name. A name weighed down by one unlucky king but genuinely strong in construction.
Aethelbert
Old English aethel (noble) and beorht (bright, famous). Aethelbert of Kent was the first Anglo-Saxon king to convert to Christianity and the ruler who welcomed Augustine to England in 597. The Latinized form Ethelbert hung on into the Victorian era.
Aethelstan
From aethel (noble) and stan (stone). Athelstan, as it is commonly spelled today, was the first king to rule a unified England, in the tenth century. It has been nudged back into modern awareness by the television series Vikings.
Aethelflaed
Old English aethel (noble) and flaeda poetic element meaning “beauty” or possibly “virtue.” Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians, was one of the most powerful women in early medieval England — a military commander and co-ruler in her own right. One of the strongest cases for revival on this entire list.
Aethelwulf
From aethel (noble) and wulf (wolf). The name of Alfred the Great’s father and king of Wessex. The wolf element runs through dozens of Anglo-Saxon names and always signals strength and ferocity alongside the nobility of aethel.
Aethelswith
Old English aethel (noble) and swith (strong). Sister of Alfred the Great and queen of Mercia. An uncommon feminine bearer of the aethel tradition, and a genuinely rare revival option.
Oswine
From Old English os (a divine name, related to the Norse Aesir) and wine (friend). Oswine was a seventh-century king of Deira venerated as a saint. The wine element here means “friend” in the Germanic sense, not the drink.
Names Meaning Strength and Battle
War and courage were central values in Anglo-Saxon culture, and the names reflect that directly. Elements like wig (battle), beald (bold), sigebert (victory-bright), and here (army) show up again and again.
Aldric
From Old English ald (old, great) and ric (power, ruler). A compact, usable name with genuine Old English roots that traveled into medieval Continental use as well. Feels contemporary without being contrived.
Baldric
Old English beald (bold, brave) and ric (power). Known today mostly from a certain comic coward in Blackadderwhich is genuinely unfortunate, because the name itself is bold and clean.
Sigbert
From Old English and Old High German sieg (victory) and beorht (bright, famous). Several Anglo-Saxon kings bore this name. The modern German form Siegbert is still in occasional use.
Wigmund
Old English wig (battle, war) and mund (protection). A strongly martial compound. Carried by a ninth-century Archbishop of York, which shows that battle-names were not limited to warriors.
Hereward
From Old English here (army) and weard (guard, protector). Hereward the Wake was the Anglo-Saxon resistance fighter who held out against William the Conqueror in the Fens. A heroic name with a genuine legend attached to it.
Aelfred
The older spelling of Alfred, from Old English aelf (elf, a term that carried supernatural power and wisdom in the Anglo-Saxon worldview) and raed (counsel). Alfred the Great is the most famous bearer. The name never actually left English use and sits comfortably in both historical and contemporary contexts.
Eadric
From Old English ead (wealth, fortune, happiness) and ric (power, ruler). A name carried by several Anglo-Saxon nobles. The ead element — shared with Edward and Edgar — is one of the most productive in the entire tradition.
Godwin
Old English god (god, or possibly “good”) and wine (friend). Earl Godwin of Wessex was the most powerful nobleman in eleventh-century England and the father of King Harold. The name survived the Conquest and is occasionally used today.
Names Meaning Wisdom and Counsel
The Old English word raed (counsel, wisdom) and beald (bold) combined with various first elements to produce names that valued intelligence and good judgment alongside valor.
Aethelraed
A direct variant spelling of Aethelred, emphasizing the raed (counsel) element. Listed here in its less-common spelling to show how the element shifts across historical documents.
Eadgar
The Old English form of Edgar, from ead (wealth, happiness) and gar (spear). Edgar the Peaceful was a tenth-century king of England credited with a notably stable reign. The modern form Edgar has seen a strong revival and sits in the top 200 in the United States.
Cynewulf
From Old English cyne (royal, kingly) and wulf (wolf). Cynewulf was a significant Old English poet, one of the few Anglo-Saxon authors whose name is actually known. A literary name with real depth.
Aethelwine
Old English aethel (noble) and wine (friend). Carried by Aethelwine, ealdorman of East Anglia and a notable patron of learning. The “-wine” ending gives it a gentler feel than the more martial compounds.
Wulfstan
From Old English wulf (wolf) and stan (stone). Wulfstan was a prominent Archbishop of York around the year 1000, a major political figure and significant prose writer in Old English. A name with both ferocity and intellectual weight.
Names from Old English Nature and the Cosmos
Anglo-Saxon names drew on the natural world — light, the sun, stars, and the landscape — particularly in feminine naming traditions, though men carried these elements too.
Sungifu
From Old English sunne (sun) and gifu (gift). A purely feminine name meaning “sun gift.” Rare even in period documents, which makes it genuinely uncommon today.
Eostre
The Old English name of a spring goddess, recorded by Bede, from whom the word Easter is derived. Used as a given name in modern pagan and Anglo-Saxon revival communities. The etymology connects to the Proto-Germanic root for “dawn” or “east.”
Leofric
From Old English leof (beloved, dear) and ric (power, ruler). Leofric, Earl of Mercia, is famous today as the husband of Lady Godiva. The leof element — warm and affectionate — gives this name a different emotional register than the more martial compounds.
Leofwine
Old English leof (beloved) and wine (friend). Leofwine was one of King Harold’s brothers who died at the Battle of Hastings. A gentler-sounding name from the beloved-friend compound, similar in warmth to Leofric.
Sigrun
From Old English and Old Norse sig (victory) and run (secret, mystery, rune). Used in both Anglo-Saxon England and Scandinavia. A name with genuine mystical weight: the “rune” element was never casual in the early medieval world.
Feminine Anglo-Saxon Names
Old English women’s names are far less documented than men’s, partly because women appear less in the written record. But the names that survive are striking — several carry the same compound structure as men’s names, and a few are genuinely beautiful.
Aelgifu
From Old English aelf (elf) and gifu (gift). “Elf-gift” was a real and respected name; several Anglo-Saxon noblewomen bore it. The Latinized form was sometimes rendered Elgiva. A fascinating choice today given the current enthusiasm for elf-element names.
Eadgyth
The Old English form of Edith, from ead (wealth, happiness) and gyth (strife, war). Saint Edith of Wilton was a daughter of King Edgar. The modern Edith is having a strong revival, and knowing its Old English roots makes the choice feel richer.
Cwenburh
From Old English cwen (queen, woman) and burh (fortress, stronghold). A seventh-century abbess bore this name. The “queen-fortress” compound is one of the most powerful in the feminine tradition, even if the spelling is daunting to modern eyes.
Aelfleda
Old English aelf (elf) and flaed (beauty). A sister of Aethelstan and a significant figure in tenth-century religious life. The elf element here, as always in Old English, suggests supernatural grace rather than diminutiveness.
Mildrith
From Old English mild (mild, gentle) and thritha feminine element of uncertain meaning, possibly strength or power. Saint Mildred of Thanet was one of the most popular female saints in pre-Conquest England. A genuinely soft-sounding name with real historical weight.
Godgifu
Old English god (god) and gifu (gift). This is the actual name of the woman history remembers as Lady Godiva — Godgifu, meaning “god’s gift.” One of the most famous women in Anglo-Saxon England, and the name behind a legend.
Aethelswyth
Old English aethel (noble) and swith (strong). A queen of Mercia in the ninth century. The variant spellings Aethelswith and Aethelswyth both appear in historical documents.
Hild
From Old English hild (battle). A single-element name, and a powerful one. Saint Hild of Whitby was one of the most influential women in seventh-century England — abbess, church politician, and host of the Synod of Whitby in 664. Short, strong, and completely real.
Wulfthryth
Old English wulf (wolf) and thrith (strength). Saint Wulfthryth was the mother of Saint Edith of Wilton and a significant abbess. The wolf element in a woman’s name is arresting and says something about how Anglo-Saxons thought about feminine strength.
Aelswith
From Old English aelf (elf) and swith (strong). Aelswith was the wife of Alfred the Great. Elf-strong is an unusual compound — combining the supernatural grace of aelf with raw power — and the historical bearer was by all accounts a formidable woman.
Names Meaning Peace and Prosperity
Not every Anglo-Saxon name reached for war. The elements ead (wealth, happiness), frithe (peace), and leof (beloved) produced names that expressed hope for a peaceful and prosperous life.
Eadmund
The Old English form of Edmund, from ead (wealth, happiness) and mund (protection). Saint Edmund, king and martyr, was one of the most venerated saints in medieval England. The name never left use and Edmund remains a solid, literary choice today.
Eadweard
The Old English root of Edward, from ead (wealth) and weard (guard). It has been a royal name in England almost without interruption since the Anglo-Saxon period. Knowing the Old English form deepens appreciation for what is often treated as a plain traditional name.
Eadwine
Old English ead (wealth, happiness) and wine (friend). Edwin of Northumbria was the first Christian king of that kingdom, baptized in 627. The modern Edwin is quietly climbing in popularity and feels genuinely distinguished.
Frithuwulf
From Old English frithu (peace) and wulf (wolf). A striking compound that pairs the peace element with the wolf — exactly the kind of tension the Anglo-Saxons seemed comfortable with. Documented in period sources, though rare even then.
Sigebert
From sige (victory) and beorht (bright). Multiple Anglo-Saxon kings bore this name. The victory-bright compound is one of the most optimistic in the tradition.
Eadburh
Old English ead (wealth, happiness) and burh (fortress). A name carried by several Anglo-Saxon noblewomen, including a daughter of King Offa of Mercia and a saint associated with Winchester. The fortress element in a woman’s name was not unusual and signals protection and security.
Single-Element and Short Anglo-Saxon Names
Not every Old English name was a two-part compound. Some names consisted of a single meaningful root, often used for their directness and power.
Bede
The name of the Venerable Bede, the eighth-century monk and scholar who wrote the Ecclesiastical History of the English People — the foundational document of English history. The etymology of Bede is debated; it may relate to Old English bed (prayer) or be a hypocoristic form. Used today by parents drawn to its scholarly associations.
Cynric
From Old English cyne (royal) and ric (power, ruler). Listed in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as an early king of Wessex. A compact, strong name that has never really returned to use but deserves consideration.
Wulf
Simply Old English wulf (wolf), used as a standalone given name. Documented in Anglo-Saxon records. The single-element form has a bluntness that makes it feel almost modern, like Ash or Finn, but with a thousand-year pedigree.
Ulf
The Norse cognate of Wulf, also documented in late Anglo-Saxon England when Scandinavian settlement was reshaping the population. Still used as a given name in Scandinavia today. Technically straddles the Norse-Saxon border, which is historically accurate for the Danelaw period.
Cedd
A seventh-century bishop of the East Saxons and a key figure in early English Christianity, particularly associated with the founding of Lastingham monastery. The exact etymology of Cedd is not fully resolved. it may be a pet form of an ead-compound. A short, strong, genuinely historical name.
Chad
The Latinized form of the Old English name Ceadda, used by Saint Chad of Lichfield, the seventh-century bishop who evangelized Mercia. The Old English root is uncertain but the name is unambiguously Anglo-Saxon in origin. Chad has spent decades as cultural shorthand for something else, but its actual history is serious and distinguished.
Osric
From Old English os (divine, related to a god-name) and ric (power). Several minor Anglo-Saxon kings bore this name. It also appears in Shakespeare’s Hamletgiving it a literary layer on top of the historical one.
Cenred
From Old English cen (bold, keen) and raed (counsel). Cenred was a king of Northumbria who abdicated to become a monk in Rome around 716 — an unusual story that makes the name memorable. A rare find for parents who want genuine Anglo-Saxon provenance.
Names That Survived into Modern Use
These Anglo-Saxon names never actually disappeared from the English-speaking world. They are included here because understanding their Old English roots transforms familiar names into something much more interesting.
Alfred
From Old English aelf (elf, supernatural power) and raed (counsel). Alfred the Great, king of Wessex, is the only English monarch to be called “the Great” by later tradition. The name dipped in the mid-twentieth century but is climbing again, especially in the UK.
Edward
The modern form of Eadweard. Carried by three Anglo-Saxon kings and every subsequent English royal generation. It feels entirely contemporary because it never stopped being used — a 1,200-year continuous run.
Edmund
From ead (wealth, happiness) and mund (protection). Saint Edmund of East Anglia, martyred by Vikings in 869, kept this name alive through the medieval period and beyond. Edmund has a particular literary prestige from Shakespeare and later writers.
Edwin
Old English ead (wealth) and wine (friend). A name that never disappeared and is currently on a modest upswing. The historical Edwin of Northumbria gives it deep roots, and the sound is clean and accessible.
Edith
The modern form of Eadgyth. A genuine Anglo-Saxon compound that survived the Conquest, became a Victorian staple, faded in the mid-twentieth century, and is now firmly back in fashion. The war element in its root — gyth — is a surprise most Ediths don’t know about.
Oswald
From Old English os (divine) and weald (power, ruler). Saint Oswald of Northumbria was a seventh-century king and martyr whose cult spread across England. The name has a dusty Victorian feel at the moment but the history is exceptional.
How to Choose an Anglo-Saxon Name
Start with the elements rather than the full names. Once you know that ead means happiness and prosperity, that aethel means noble, that aelf carries supernatural grace, and that wulf means wolf, you can read every compound name on this list fluently. That knowledge changes how you hear them.
Think about which form you want to use. Many Anglo-Saxon names have a “raw” Old English spelling (Eadweard, Aelfred, Eadgyth) and a modern descendant (Edward, Alfred, Edith). The raw forms are more distinctive but come with a spelling burden. The modern forms carry the same roots with far less friction. Neither choice is wrong. it depends on how much you want the Anglo-Saxon heritage to be visible in the name itself.
Consider the sound as well as the meaning. Old English names tend to be front-heavy — the stress falls on the first syllable — which gives them a decisive, grounded feel. They pair well with longer, softer middle names that balance the weight. Hild, Bede, Wulf, and Cedd are blunt and short. Aethelflaed and Cwenburh are long and layered. Both ends of that spectrum work, but they produce very different effects.
Finally, check whether the name has a specific historical association you can live with. Aethelred carries the “unready” pun into every conversation. Godgifu immediately brings up Lady Godiva. Hereward connects to the last Anglo-Saxon resistance fighter. For some parents, those stories are exactly the point. For others, they are a distraction. Either way, knowing the story before you commit is the whole advantage of choosing a name with this much documented history behind it.
Anglo-Saxon names reward research. The more you know about the naming tradition — the elements, the history, the figures who carried these names — the more clearly you can see which one actually fits.
