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Alfred

Alfred: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“elf counsel”
Origin
Old English
Say it
AL-fred · 2 syllables
Used for
Boys

From Old English Ælfrǣd, from ælf 'elf' and ræd 'counsel'. A traditional English royal name; German Alfred is a cognate form.

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How popular is Alfred?

202488.0 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Alfred in 2024293

2024 rank#837 boys

Peak year1928

Total US babies since 1880244,850

Alfred is steady now but far below its 1928 peak.

Names like Alfred

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Alfredoelf counsel · Italian
  • Alfredaelf counsel · English
  • Wesleywestern meadow · Old English
  • Westonwestern settlement · Old English
  • Blakeblack; pale · Old English
  • Edwardwealthy guardian · Old English
  • Ashtonash tree town · Old English
  • Kingstonking's town · Old English

Alfred questions

What does the name Alfred mean?

Alfred means "elf counsel". It comes from Old English. From Old English Ælfrǣd, from ælf 'elf' and ræd 'counsel'. A traditional English royal name; German Alfred is a cognate form.

Is Alfred a boy or girl name?

Alfred is mainly a boy's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Alfred?

293 US babies were named Alfred in 2024. Its peak year was 1928.

How do you pronounce Alfred?

Alfred is usually pronounced AL-fred.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.