Audrey
Pronunciation
GenderFemale, rarely male
Language(s)English
Origin
Language(s)Old English
Word/nameÆðelþryð
Derivationæðel + þryð
Meaning"noble strength"
Other names
Related namesEtheldreda, Ethel, Audie, Audra, Audre, Audrea

Audrey (/ˈɔːdri/) is a feminine given name. It is rarely a masculine given name. Audrey is the Anglo-Norman form of the Anglo-Saxon name Æðelþryð, composed of the elements æðel "noble" and þryð "strength". The Anglo-Norman form of the name was applied to Saint Audrey (d. 679), also known by the historical form of her name as Saint Æthelthryth. The same name also survived into the modern period in its Anglo-Saxon form, as Etheldred,[1] e.g. Etheldred Benett (1776–1845).

In the 17th century, the name of Saint Audrey gave rise to the adjective tawdry "cheap and pretentious; cheaply adorned". The lace necklaces sold to pilgrims to Saint Audrey fell out of fashion in the 17th century, and so tawdry was reinterpreted as meaning cheap or vulgar. As a consequence, use of the name declined, but it was revived in the 19th century. Popularity of the name in the United States peaked in the interbellum period, but it fell below rank 100 in popularity by 1940 and was not frequently given in the later half of the 20th century; Audrey was the 173rd most common name for females in the United States in the 1990 census. Its popularity has again been on the rise since the 2000s, reaching rank 100 in 2002 and rank 41 in 2012. It was also ranked in the top 100 most common names for girls in France, Belgium, and Canada in the 2000s.[2]

People

Fictional characters

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ ÆÐELÞRYÐ, Behind the Name
  2. ↑ Audrey, Behind the Name
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