Aubrey
Language(s)English, French, German
Origin
MeaningKing of the elves[1]
Other names
Variant form(s)Aubree, Aubrie, Awbery[2]

Aubrey (/ˈɔːbri/) is traditionally a male English given name. The name is from the Norman French derivation Aubry of the Germanic given name Alberic / Old High German given name Alberich,[3] which consists of the elements alb 'elf' and ric 'power' or 'ruler' ,[1][4] from Proto-Germanic *albiz "elf", "supernatural being" and *rīks "chieftain", "ruler". Before being largely replaced by Aubrey after the Norman Conquest of England, the Anglo-Saxons used the native form Ælfrīc.[1]

Beginning in the United States in the late 20th century, the name Aubrey has come to be commonly used as a given name for girls, potentially transferred from its usage as a surname and/or influenced by Audrey.[1] It has been suggested that the modern feminine usage could also independently derive from the unrelated Germanic name Alberada, by way of the Old French Aubrée.[5] In 2022, Aubrey was the 81st most popular girls' name in the United States.[6]

People

Surname

Given name

Pre-nineteenth century

Nineteenth century

Modern era

Fictional characters

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006). A Dictionary of First Names. Oxford paperback reference. Oxford University Press. p. 65. ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1. OCLC 67869278. Retrieved 12 Oct 2023.
  2. ↑ Hanks, Patrick; Coates, Richard; McClure, Peter (2016). The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland. Oxford University Press. p. 98. ISBN 978-0-19-252747-9.
  3. ↑ Albert Dauzat (préface de Marie-Thérèse Morlet), Noms et prénoms de France, éditions Larousse 1980, p. 14b.
  4. ↑ Harrison, Henry; Harrison, Gyda Pulling, eds. (1996) [1912]. Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary. p. 15.
  5. ↑ François de Beaurepaire, Les noms des communes et anciennes paroisses de l'Eure, éditions Picard, 1981, p. 123
  6. ↑ "Popularity of a Name". Social Security Administration. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
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