Middle English form of the Old English name
Ælfþryð meaning "elf strength", derived from the element
ælf "elf" combined with
þryð "strength".
Ælfþryð was common amongst Anglo-Saxon nobility, being borne for example by the mother of king Æðelræd the Unready. This name was rare after the Norman conquest, but it was revived in the 19th century.