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

Aubrey (/ˈɔːbri/) is a traditionally male English given 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

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

Surname

Given name

Pre-nineteenth century

Nineteenth century

Modern era

Fictional characters

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 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. 1 2 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. p. 15.
  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.
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