Boy name · Old English
Alfred
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: elf counselAlfred is a boy's name that comes from Old English and means "elf counsel". It is used in English, German and Scandinavian.
- Meaning
- Elf counsel
- Origin
- Old English
- Gender
- Boy
- US rank
- #840 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Alfred
As a boy's name, Alfred comes from Old English and means "elf counsel". It is used in English, German and Scandinavian.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Alfred on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Alfred on 6 lists.
“The classic butler name, with mansion energy”
From Nicknames for ChatGPT, butler and assistant-style names
“Batman's British butler, endlessly patient”
From British funny names, butler and housekeeper names
“Old English for elf counsel, a wise old name”
From Bunny names, boy bunny names
“Elf counsel; Old English. The great king of Wessex”
From Classic boy names, royal and noble boy names
“Elf counsel; Old English. The Wessex king who held off the Vikings”
From Elf names, real names that mean elf
“Elf counsel; Old English. Alfie or Fred for short”
From Old man names, grandpa names coming back for babies
How popular is Alfred?
- US rank in 2025
- #840
- 293 babies, 172 per million boys
- Best rank
- #32 in 1882
- Most babies: 6,252 in 1928
- Babies since 1880
- At least 243,861
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 4,416 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 4,709 per million |
| 1900s | 4,682 per million |
| 1910s | 4,889 per million |
| 1920s | 4,552 per million |
| 1930s | 3,255 per million |
| 1940s | 2,149 per million |
| 1950s | 1,472 per million |
| 1960s | 969 per million |
| 1970s | 638 per million |
| 1980s | 404 per million |
| 1990s | 243 per million |
| 2000s | 146 per million |
| 2010s | 130 per million |
| 2020s | 157 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #845 | #864 | #862 | #802 | #899 | #901 | #837 | #928 | #837 | #840 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Other forms of Alfred
The same name in other languages and spellings, with the same meaning and origin.
Names spelled like Alfred
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- AlfrikElf ruler (Old Norse, boy)
Names with a similar meaning
- KonradBold counsel (Germanic, boy)
- AubreyElf ruler (Germanic, unisex)
- ConradBold counsel (Germanic, boy)
- RadegundCounsel and war (Germanic, girl)
- RaghnallCounsel ruler (Old Norse, boy)
- RamiroFamous counsel (Germanic, boy)
- RamonaCounsel protector (Germanic, girl)
- RaymondCounsel protector (Germanic, boy)
- RonaldCounsel ruler (Old Norse, boy)
- TancredThought and counsel (Germanic, boy)
Middle names for Alfred
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More boy names from Old English
- EdgarWealthy spear (Old English, boy)
- EduardRich guardian (Old English, boy)
- StormTempest (Old English, unisex)
- EduardoRich guardian (Old English, boy)
- GrahamFrom a surname from the place name Grantham, probably gravelly homestead (Old English, boy)
- HarperHarp player (Old English, unisex)
- LindenLime tree (Old English, unisex)
- LindsayLincoln island (Old English, unisex)
- OsmundGod protector (Old English, boy)
- OswaldPower of a god (Old English, boy)
Alfred: common questions
What does the name Alfred mean?
Alfred comes from Old English and means "elf counsel".
Is Alfred a boy or girl name?
Alfred is mainly a boy's name.
Where does the name Alfred come from?
Alfred comes from Old English and means "elf counsel". Today it is used in English, German and Scandinavian.
How popular is the name Alfred?
Alfred ranked #840 in the US in 2025, with 293 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are other forms of Alfred?
Forms of Alfred with the same meaning and origin include Alfie (English), Alfredo (Italian) and Avery (English).
What middle names go with Alfred?
Middle names that flow well with Alfred include Clark, Dale, Elton, Finn and Heath. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.