NameChart

Alfred

Boy name

Alfred has been given to 245,153 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1928 and currently ranks #840 for boys (2025).

Meaning & origin /ˈælfɹəd/

From Middle English Alfred, from Old English Ælfrǣd, from ælf (“elf”) +‎ rǣd (“counsel”). Doublet of Alfredo and Avery. Equivalent to elf + rede. The modern pronunciation with /f/ is a spelling pronunciation; the name in Old English was pronounced with [v], as shown in its Middle English descendant Alured (in which u stands for modern v).

Origin: Old English

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025

01.563k3.126k4.689k6.252k 18801900192019401960198020002020 Girls Boys
Hover or tap the chart to read any year.

Total babies

245,153

Peak year

1928 (6,291 babies)

Rank in 2025

#840 for boys

First recorded

1880

10-year trend

▲ +26%

Gender split

1% girls / 99% boys

Famous people named Alfred

Alfred Nobel

Swedish chemist and inventor (1833–1896)

Alfred Hitchcock

British filmmaker (1899–1980)

Al Pacino

American actor (born 1940)

Alfred Tennyson

British Poet Laureate (1809–1892)

Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).

Names with a similar vibe

Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Alfred.

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