ELFREDA female English 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. |