Jump to content

Aubrey

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Aubrey (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Audrey.
Aubrey
GenderUnisex
Language(s)English, French, German
Origin
Meaningruler of elves[1]
Other names
Variant form(s)Aubree, Aubrie, Awbery[2]

Aubrey (/ˈɔːbri/) is a traditionally male English name. It was quite common in the Middle Ages, but had lost favour for a time before experiencing a resurgence of popularity in the 19th century.[1][3]

Starting in the United States in the late 20th century, Aubrey began to be commonly used as a given name for girls, potentially transferred from its usage as a surname and/or influenced by Audrey.[1] In 2022, Aubrey was the 81st most popular girls' name in the United States.[4]

Etymology

[edit]
Look up Aubrey in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Aubrey is from the Norman French derivation Aubry of the Germanic given name Alberic / Old High German given name Alberich,[5] which consists of the elements alb 'elf' and ric 'power' or 'ruler' ,[1][6] Before being largely replaced by Aubrey after the Norman Conquest of England, the Anglo-Saxons used the native form Ælfrīc.[1]

The mediaeval feminine name Aubrée, independently derived from the Germanic name Alberada, was common in Normandy and Post-Conquest England.[7][8] However, it had fallen out of use entirely by the 15th century and appears to be unconnected with modern usage of Aubrey.[3]

People

[edit]

Surname

[edit]

Given name

[edit]

Pre-nineteenth century

[edit]

Nineteenth century

[edit]

Modern era

[edit]

Fictional characters

[edit]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e 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. ^ a b E. G. Withycombe (1977). The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names (Third ed.). Oxford: Clarendon Press. pp. 10, 35. ISBN 9780192812131. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  4. ^ "Popularity of a Name". Social Security Administration. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
  5. ^ Albert Dauzat (préface de Marie-Thérèse Morlet), Noms et prénoms de France, éditions Larousse 1980, p. 14b.
  6. ^ Harrison, Henry; Harrison, Gyda Pulling, eds. (1996) [1912]. Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary. Genealogical Publishing Com. p. 15. ISBN 978-0-8063-0171-6.
  7. ^ Auguste Longnon (1929). Les noms de lieu de la France; leur origine, leur signification, leurs transformations (in French). Vol. 2. Paris: Éditions Champion. p. 483. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  8. ^ François de Beaurepaire, ed. (1981). Les noms des communes et anciennes paroisses de l'Eure (in French). Paris: Éditions Picard. p. 123. ISBN 9782708400672. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aubrey&oldid=1262745138"