← Back to The Early Middle Ages
Girl · Old English
Æthelflæd
Say it: ATH-el-flad
Meaning
From Old English æthel 'noble', with a second element flæd. The meaning of flæd is uncertain; 'beauty' or 'purity' have been suggested, but neither is proven.
Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.
Borne by Alfred the Great's daughter, who ruled Mercia and led its campaigns against the Danes in the 910s.
Its wave through time
No birth counts are recorded for this name in the records loaded here: it has been given to fewer than five babies a year, or not at all, since records began.
Through the ages
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Ethelfleda, Aethelflaed
Famous bearers
- Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- Anglo-Saxon charters, chronicles and church records
- Royal and noble genealogies
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.