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Wilfred - Origin and Meaning of the name

Meaning of the name Wilfred
 
 

 



[ 2 syll. wi-(l)fred, wil-fr-ed ] The boy name Wilfred is pronounced as WIHLFRahD KEY. Wilfred is used chiefly in the English language and it is derived from Germanic origins. Wilfred's meaning is desiring peace. Two-element name derived from the elements 'wil' meaning will, desire ; 'fridu' meaning peace, protection, safety. Walfrid (Old English) and Wilfrith (Old English) are original forms of Wilfred. The name was borne by two saints, including Saint Wilfrid (634-709), an English bishop at the Council of Whitby. The name was not used much from the Middle Ages until after the Norman conquest; it saw a revival in the 19th century. The name Wilfreda (English) is the female form of Wilfred.

Guifré (Catalan), Vilfred (Scandinavian), Vilfredo (Italian), Vilfrido (Italian), Wilfredo (Italian and Spanish), Wilfrid (English and French), and Wilfried (German) are variants of Wilfred. Other variants of Wilfred include the short forms Fred (English), Wil (English), Wilf (English), Wilfie (English), and Will (English), and the pet form Willie (English). See also the related form, Wilkie (English).

Wilfred is unusual as a baby name for boys. Its usage peaked in 1917 with 0.081% of baby boys being given the name Wilfred. It ranked at #164 then. The baby name has since experienced a marked loss in popularity, and is today of very modest use. Among the group of boy names directly linked to Wilfred, Willie (English) was the most regularly used in 2007.

Baby names that sound like Wilfred include Wilfrid (English and French), Wilbert (English and German), Wilfried (German), Willibrord (English and German), and Wilpert (German).

KEY: Pronunciation for Wilfred: W as in "we (W.IY)" ; IH as in "it (IH.T)" ; L as in "lee (L.IY)" ; F as in "fee (F.IY)" ; R as in "read (R.IY.D)" ; AH as in "hut (HH.AH.T)" ; D as in "dee (D.IY)"


A famous person named Wilfred is Poet Wilfred Owen, born Wilfred Edward Salter Owen, 18 March 1893 - 4 November 1918, Plas Wilmot, England.

Popularity Trend
for Wilfred
from 1900 to 2007Variant Popularity Chart
for Wilfred
in 2007

Meaning of Wilfred Meaning of Will Meaning of Wilfie Meaning of Wilf Meaning of Wil Meaning of Fred Meaning of Willie Meaning of Wilfredo Meaning of Wilfrid Meaning of Vilfrido Meaning of Vilfredo Meaning of Vilfred Meaning of Guifré Meaning of Wilfried Meaning of Wilfreda Meaning of Wilbur Meaning of William Meaning of Willis Meaning of Wilbert Meaning of Fred Meaning of Alfreda Meaning of Alfred Meaning of Frederick Meaning of Willie Meaning of Wilhelmina Meaning of Wilkie