Alfhild

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Girl · Old Norse

Alfhild

Say it: AHLF-hild

Try it with your surname

Meaning

From Old Norse álfr 'elf' and hildr 'battle'.

Certainscholars agree on this meaning.

A legendary name revived in Norway and Sweden around 1900.

Its wave through time

Rare in the records

In the United States

01020304018801900192019401960198020002020Peak 1906per million babies of that sex
  • 89 babies given this name since 1899
  • At its height in 1906, about 1 in 32,800 girls
  • Fewer than 5 babies a year in 2020

Through the ages

  1. The Viking and Anglo-Saxon Age700 to 1100
  2. The High and Late Middle Ages1100 to 1450
  3. Victorian and Belle Époque1837 to 1914

Used by

Old NorseNorwegianSwedish

The family of the name

Old NorseÁlfhildr
IcelandicÁlfhildur

Famous bearers

  • Alfhild, legendary shieldmaiden told of by Saxo Grammaticus

Names worth a look

Where this comes from

  • The Icelandic sagas and other Old Norse literature
  • Well-known works of literature
  • United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source

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.