Given name
Elfreda
“one who counsels the elves”·“a peaceful ruler; a good advisor”
In English use, Elfreda has a related form in Alfreda. In German use, Alfreda carries the interpretation “one who counsels the elves.” Elfreda is a variant of Elfrida. One Greek interpretation is “a peaceful ruler; a good advisor.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Elfreda has a related form in Alfreda. In German use, Alfreda carries the interpretation “one who counsels the elves.” Elfreda is a variant of Elfrida. One Greek interpretation is “a peaceful ruler; a good advisor.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Old English.
How it developed
From Old English Ælfþrȳþ, built from Old English ælf (“elf”) + þrȳþ (“strength”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1887. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Elfreda through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 934
- 0 boys · 934 girls
- Most popular year
- 1917
- 40 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 7 in 1978. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 40 in 1917. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 472 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Elfreda’s family of names
Elfreda has a short form in Freda. Elfreda shares a linguistic root with Elfriede. In English usage, Elfreda has a related form in Alfreda.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Elfreda has relatives in 5 languages. Lines run from its Old English roots to each of them.
4 related names in 5 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Elfreda
- Elfreda Reyeslabor organizer, suffragette, women's rights activist and political activist1901–1992
- Elfreda ChatmanAmerican academic (1942-2002)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Elfreda, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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