Anglo-Saxon Women’s Names

The Anglo-Saxons’ use of vovels is notoriously unreliable; a, e, and i are interchangable with each other and with ae, ea, ei, eo, i, o, y and so on. Therefore, some of the following names may be, in fact, duplicated as far as the Anglo-Saxon’s would have been concerend, but different to the modern eye.

In compilation of the following list certain names beginning with the letters AE and E were extremely popular, whilst otheres remain absent. A set of “common” name endings that I have derived from this study I have set out below.

a /e
berh / burh / burg / burga
flaed / fflaed / fled
gifu / gith / gyth / githa
hild
ith / itha / yth
lith / litha
swith / swyth
thryth / thrythta / frith
wen / wyn / wynn
waru

AEbbe
AEdwen
Aeffe
AElfgifu
AElfgyth
AElflead
AElfflaed
AElfled (a)
AElfswith
AElfswyth
AElfthryth
AElfwaru
AElfwyn
AElfwynn
AEthelberg
AEthelburh
AEthelflaed
AEthelgifu
AEthelgyth
AEthelhild
AEthelswith
AEthelthrith
AEthelthryth
AEthelwen
Aldith
Agnes

Balthild
Beadohild
Bebbe
Beorngyth / Beornwyn
Berhtgyth
Berhtswith
Bertha
Bucge
Buhe

Ceolburh, Ceolthryth
Cuthburh, Ceolwyn
Cwenburh, Ceolwaru
Cwenburg
Cynehild
Cyneburh
Cyneburg, Cynelufu
Cyneswith
Cynethryth
Cyniburg

Deorsith, Deorlufu
Deorwyn
Dudde
Dunne

Eadburg
Eadburga
Eadburh
Eadfrith
Eadgifu
Eadugu
Eafe
Ealdgyth
Ealhild
Ealswith
Eanflaed
Eanfled
Eanfrith
Eangyth
Eanswith
Eawyn
Ecgburg
Ecgferth
Ecgfrida
Ecgthritha
Edgyth
Edith
Elfleda
Emma
Etheldreda
Etheldritha

Frideswide
Frithugyth

Geatflaed
Gilswith
Godahild
Godgifu
Godgyth
Golde
Godwif
Gytha

Heiu
Herlufa
Hild
Hilda
Hildelith
Hildelitha
Hildigyth
Hildithryth
Hwite

Judith

Leoba
Leofgyth
Leofled
Leofflaed
Leofrun
Leofwara
Leogifu
Lufu
Lulle

Milburga
Midburg
Mildgitha
Mildred
Mildrith
Mildthryth

Nothgyth

Oedilburga
Osfryth
Osgyth
Osthryth
Osyth

Saegyth
Saehild
Saexburg
Saexburh
Siflaed

Tate
Theoritgitha
Tidburg
Tunwini

Uerngyth

Waerbburh, Walenburg
Waerthryth
Werberga, Winne
Wihtburg, Wihtburh
Wilfgifu, Wulgifu
Wulfwaru, Wulfgyth
Wulfwen, Wulfwyn
Wynburg
Wyflaed
Wulfruna

Ricole or Ricola

Bibliography:

Anglo-Saxon England – Stenton
Women in Anglo-Saxon England – Christine Fell
The Anglo-Saxons – Campbell
The Beginnings of English Society – Dorothy Whitelock
Discovering Saints in Britain – Vince
Domesday – Michael Wood
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles – Translation by Ann Savage

Compiled by Ricula
From DASMAG 1991, N0.6, Summer.