Medieval Boy Names
Medieval boys’ names have a weight to them: Godric, Anselm, Leofric, Baldwin. Some, like William and Henry, never went out of style; others vanished after the Norman Conquest and are only now being rediscovered. Here are more than 110 medieval boy names used across England, France, Scandinavia and the Celtic lands, grouped by where they came from and what they meant.
Looking for the full picture? Start at medieval names, then compare with medieval girl names for a sibling set. If you need a warrior’s name, see knight names.
The most common medieval boy names in England
Tax rolls from the 1300s show just a handful of names covering most men. Many of these are still classic boy names.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| John | “God is gracious” | Hebrew |
| William | “Resolute protector” | Germanic |
| Thomas | “Twin” | Aramaic |
| Richard | “Brave ruler” | Germanic |
| Robert | “Bright fame” | Germanic |
| Henry | “Ruler of the home” | Germanic |
| Walter | “Army ruler” | Germanic |
| Roger | “Famous spear” | Germanic |
| Hugh | “Mind, heart” | Germanic |
| Nicholas | “Victory of the people” | Greek |
| Adam | “Man, earth” | Hebrew |
| Simon | “He has heard” | Hebrew |
| Peter | “Rock” | Greek |
| Ralph | “Wolf counsel” | Norse |
| Stephen | “Crown” | Greek |
| Geoffrey | Possibly “God’s peace” | Germanic |
| Gilbert | “Bright pledge” | Germanic |
| Alan | Possibly “little rock” or “handsome” | Breton |
Norman and French boy names
Brought to England in 1066, these names quickly replaced Old English ones among the elite. See also French boy names.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Aldric | “Old ruler” | Germanic, via French |
| Baldwin | “Bold friend” | Germanic |
| Bertram | “Bright raven” | Germanic |
| Emeric | “Home power” | Germanic |
| Everard | “Brave boar” | Germanic |
| Fulk | “People” | Germanic |
| Guy | “Wood” or “guide” | Germanic |
| Odo | “Wealth” | Germanic |
| Reginald | “Counsel power” | Germanic |
| Humphrey | “Peaceful warrior” | Germanic |
| Warin | “Guard” | Germanic |
| Osbert | “Divine bright” | Germanic, via Norman |
| Payne | “Villager, pagan” | Latin |
| Hamo | “Home” | Germanic |
| Thibault | “Bold people” | Germanic, French form of Theobald |
| Amaury | “Work power” | Germanic |
| Enguerrand | “Angel raven” | Germanic |
| Raymond | “Wise protector” | Germanic |
Anglo-Saxon boy names
Old English names were compounds of two words, like Leof + ric = “dear ruler.” They make rare, strong choices today.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Godric | “God’s ruler” | Old English |
| Leofric | “Dear ruler” | Old English |
| Osric | “Divine ruler” | Old English |
| Wulfric | “Wolf ruler” | Old English |
| Cuthbert | “Famous and bright” | Old English |
| Aldous | “Old” | Old English |
| Wystan | “Battle stone” | Old English |
| Edwin | “Rich friend” | Old English |
| Oswin | “God’s friend” | Old English |
| Alden | “Old friend” | Old English |
| Aelfric | “Elf ruler” | Old English |
| Eadmund | “Wealthy protector” | Old English |
| Godwin | “God’s friend” | Old English |
| Wilfrid | “Will for peace” | Old English |
| Dunstan | “Dark stone” | Old English |
| Aethelwulf | “Noble wolf” | Old English |
| Kenelm | “Brave helmet” | Old English |
| Hereward | “Army guard” | Old English |
Norse and Viking boy names
Norse names were common across the Danelaw in northern England. Browse more Viking boy names.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Bjorn | “Bear” | Old Norse |
| Erik | “Ever ruler” | Old Norse |
| Halfdan | “Half Dane” | Old Norse |
| Ivar | “Bow warrior” | Old Norse |
| Knut | “Knot” | Old Norse |
| Ulf | “Wolf” | Old Norse |
| Torsten | “Thor’s stone” | Old Norse |
| Ketil | “Cauldron, helmet” | Old Norse |
| Orm | “Serpent” | Old Norse |
| Rolf | “Famous wolf” | Old Norse |
| Sigmund | “Victory protection” | Old Norse |
| Steinar | “Stone warrior” | Old Norse |
| Haakon | “High son” | Old Norse |
Saints’ names popular in the Middle Ages
Children were often named for the saint on whose day they were born or for a local patron. See biblical boy names for scripture names.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Anselm | “God’s helmet” | Germanic; Archbishop of Canterbury |
| Ambrose | “Immortal” | Greek; Bishop of Milan |
| Benedict | “Blessed” | Latin; founder of the Benedictines |
| Bernard | “Brave as a bear” | Germanic; Bernard of Clairvaux |
| Francis | “Frenchman” | Latin; Francis of Assisi |
| Dominic | “Of the Lord” | Latin; founder of the Dominicans |
| Lawrence | “From Laurentum” | Latin |
| Martin | “Of Mars” | Latin; Martin of Tours |
| Giles | “Young goat” | Greek; patron of cripples |
| Denis | “Of Dionysus” | Greek; patron of Paris |
| Augustine | “Venerable” | Latin; Augustine of Canterbury |
| Bartholomew | “Son of Talmai” | Aramaic; apostle |
| Clement | “Merciful” | Latin; early pope |
| Jerome | “Holy name” | Greek |
| Anthony | Roman family name | Latin |
| Swithun | Possibly “strong” | Old English; Bishop of Winchester |
Welsh, Irish and Scottish medieval boy names
The Celtic fringe kept its own names throughout the period. See Celtic boy names.
| Name | Meaning | Pronunciation / origin |
|---|---|---|
| Owain | “Well-born” | OH-wine; Welsh |
| Llywelyn | Possibly “leader” | thlu-WEL-in; Welsh |
| Gruffudd | “Strong lord” | GRIF-ith; Welsh |
| Rhys | “Ardor, enthusiasm” | REES; Welsh |
| Madoc | “Fortunate” | MAD-ock; Welsh |
| Brian | Possibly “high, noble” | Irish; Brian Boru |
| Conor | “Lover of hounds” | Irish |
| Donal | “World ruler” | Irish |
| Cormac | “Charioteer” | Irish |
| Fergus | “Man of strength” | Scottish and Irish |
| Alasdair | Gaelic Alexander | Scottish |
| Angus | “One strength” | Scottish |
| Duncan | “Dark warrior” | Scottish |
| Tristram | Medieval form of Tristan | Brittonic |
Rare and unusual medieval boy names
Real names from medieval records that almost nobody uses today. Great for characters, bold for babies. Pair them with medieval last names.
| Name | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Jocelin | Possibly “a Goth” | Germanic |
| Drogo | Possibly “to carry” | Germanic |
| Aymer | “Home ruler” | Germanic |
| Engelram | “Angel raven” | Germanic |
| Ivo | “Yew” | Germanic |
| Lambert | “Bright land” | Germanic |
| Randolf | “Shield wolf” | Germanic |
| Serlo | Meaning uncertain | Norman |
| Tancred | “Thought counsel” | Germanic |
| Ruadhan | “Little red one” | Irish; source of Rowan |
| Warner | “Army guard” | Germanic |
| Gervase | Possibly “spear servant” | Germanic |
| Baldric | “Bold ruler” | Germanic |
How to choose a medieval boy name
- Pick a name with a modern nickname: Bartholomew becomes Bart, Leofric becomes Leo, Cuthbert becomes Bertie.
- Anglo-Saxon names like Edwin, Alden and Oswin sound gentle; Norse names like Bjorn and Ulf sound fierce.
- For a story set in England after 1066, noblemen should mostly carry Norman names (Hugh, Geoffrey), while peasants mixed Norman and English ones.
- Check pronunciation for Welsh names: Gruffudd is GRIF-ith, not grough-fud.
- See strong boy names and old-fashioned boy names for more heritage picks.
Frequently asked questions
What are common medieval boy names?
John, William, Thomas, Richard, Robert and Henry were the most common medieval boy names in England.
What are cool medieval boy names?
Aldric, Bertram, Leofric, Everard, Tancred, Wulfric and Hereward have a strong medieval feel without being common.
What medieval names are still popular today?
William, Henry, Thomas, Nicholas, Hugh, Adam and Simon have been used continuously since the Middle Ages.
What is an Anglo-Saxon boy name?
Names like Godric, Leofric, Edwin, Oswin and Wystan come from Old English, spoken in England before 1066.