In the Anglo-Saxon royal families, a king and a queen might have five or so children. Both the king and queen have dithematic names, so that is four elements between the two of them (if there is no overlap). So, how the family might name their children is combine their elements in different ways or use one element, like ecg, and maybe add a unique element to their little pool of elements. This produced hundreds of variations, and I'm guessing (from the amount of research I did) that at least one person per name bore a different combination of these elements.
I've compiled all the Anglo-Saxon elements used with names back then, and then taking the liberty of adding more Old English words, using online Old English dictionaries (here and here). Have fun, and if you make a combination you love, congrats! You're a real Tolkien! Comment to share your spectacular creation!
[Side note: G = Germanic, ON = Old Norse, OE = Old English, OS = Old Saxon.]
| Element | Origin | Meaning | Variants | Examples | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| amal | G | labor, work | ame, em, emme, milli | Millicent | used more in Germany |
| angil | G | Angle | engel, engil, ing | Engelbert | |
| arn | ON | eagle | Arnold | ||
| ass | ON | god | as | Aswig | |
| atta | G | father | ath | Athulf | |
| beadu | OE | battle | bad, bab, bead | Beaduburh | |
| beald | OE | bold | bal, ball, bald | Baldwin | |
| beofor | OE | beaver | bever | Beverley | |
| beorht | OE | bright | berht, bert, berth, brict | Bertram, Robert | |
| beorn | OE | bear | ben, bern, born, borne, bourne, burn | Beornwulf, Osborn | |
| bliþ | OE | gentle, happy | beth, bleth, blith, blithe, blythe | Bliththryth | |
| blæc | OE | black, dark | Blæcmann | rare | |
| brego | OE | prince, lord, ruler | brege, bregu | Bregoswith | |
| bræmel | OE | bramble | brembel, bremel | Brembel | |
| brær | OE | briar, bramble | brer, brere, briar, brier | ||
| burg | G | fortress | borough, borow, burga, burh, burk | Cwenburg, Kynborow | used almost exclusively for women |
| celde | OE | spring | celda, kelda | Alkelda | |
| cene | OE | bold, kene | cen, coen, ken | Kenelm | |
| ceol | OE | keep (of a ship) | cel, chele, ciol | Ceolwyn | |
| cuþ | OE | famous, known | cod, coth | Cuthbert | |
| cwen | OE | woman, wife | queen, quen, quene | Cwenthryth, Leofcwen | only found in women’s names |
| cyn | OE | kin | cyn | ||
| cyne | OE | royal | chene, ken, kim, kyn, kyne | Cynehild | |
| dæg | OE | day | daei, dag, dai, daia, day | Daisy, Leofdæg | less common name element |
| dene | OE | Dane | dan, den | Haldane | |
| deor | OE | dear | dar | Darwin, Deorswith | |
| dun | OE | dark | dunne | Dunstan | |
| ead | OE | wealth, riches, fortune | ad, ed, id, æd | Edward, Edith | very common name element |
| eage | OE | eye | eye, y | Daisy | never used in Anglo-Saxon England |
| ealh | OE | temple | al, el, æl | Ealhmund | |
| eard | OE | land | ad, ard | Eardwulf | not particularly common element |
| ecg | OE | edge (of a sword) | age, edg, eg | Ecgburg | |
| eald | OE | æld | Ealdgyth | ||
| eoh | OE | horse | eo | ||
| eorcen | OE | genuine | Eorcengota | ||
| eoster | OE | Easter | easter, ælstr | Eosterwine | related to Germanic goddess Eostre? |
| fearn | OE | fern | farn, fearn, fern | Fern | modern invention |
| flæd | OE | beauty | fled, flede, fleda, flet, flethe | Heanflæd | mostly used for women |
| fela | OE | much, a lot | fele, felu, feolo | Feleburg | extremely rare |
| Frige | OE | Frige, Germanic goddess | fri, frig, frigg | Friday | cognate of ON Frigg |
| friÞ | OE | peace | fred, frey, fride, frith, fritha | Ceolfrith | popular name element |
| fugol | OE | bird, fowl | fugl, fugul, fvgel, fvgl, fvhl, vugel | Sæfugol, Winterfugol | uncommon |
| fulc | OE | people, folk, nation, tribe | folc, folk, ful | Fulbert | uncommon but not rare |
| fus | OE | eager, brave, noble | fus | Cenfus | probable meaning |
| gar | OE | spear | car, gari | Edgar, Oscar | |
| geat | OE | gate | |||
| god | OE | god | god, gode, good | Godfrey | |
| giedd | OE | story, tale, song, poem | giedda | Giedda | single element use |
| giefu | OE | gift | eva, gife, gifu, giva, gyfa, gyfe, ieue, ive | Godiva | |
| glæd | OE | bright | glæd, glad | Gladwin | |
| gold | OE | gold | Goldstan, Goldwine | uncommon, rare | |
| grim | OE | fierce, severe | |||
| cene | OE | bold, kene | cen, cene, coen, ken | Kenrick | |
| grœni | span style=“font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif”>OE | green | green, gren | no names used this element during the time period | |
| gyð | OE | battle | ith, ytha, ythe | Edith | |
| hadu | G | battle, combat | ed, hade, hed | Hedwig | |
| haga | OE | enclosure | hag | ||
| halig | OE | holy | al | ||
| heafoc | OE | hawk | hafoc | Westorualcna | uncommon |
| heah | OE | exalted, high | |||
| healf | OE | half | half, hal | Haldane | |
| hean | OE | low, humble, poor | |||
| heard | OE | brave, hardy | ard, att, ot | Wyatt | |
| hearp | OE | harp | harp | ||
| helm | G | helmet, protection | am, elm, elmi, helm | William | |
| heort | OE | deer, hart, stag | heoro | ||
| here | OE | army | er, har, here | Harold, Walter | |
| hild | G | battle | childa, hild, hild, hilda, hilde, hilt, ild, ilda, ildr, ildæ, nelda, nella, nilda | Hildebrand, Matilda | |
| hlud | G | famous, loud | chlod, clot, hludo, lot, lou, lud | Clotilda | |
| hris | OE | brushwood, scrub | ris | Risborough | uncommon |
| hroð | OE | fame | hroth, rod | Roderick | |
| hros | G | horse | ros, rosa | Rosamund | |
| hrum | G | raven | ram | Bertram, Ingram | Norman import |
| hun | G | bear cub | hun, hum, in, un | Humbert | |
| hug | G | thought, heart, spirit | hu, huge, hugh, hune, hyge | Hugh | cognate of Old English hyge |
| hwit | OE | white | wiht, whit | ||
| hyge | OE | thought, desire, mind | hoga, hogu, ige, yge | Hygeburg | |
| >hyse | OE | warrior, youth | Godhyse | ||
| hæl | OE | heal | al | ||
| <hæð | OE | heath | heath | ||
| Ing | G | Ing | ing, inge | Ingemar | |
| ketel | OS | kettle, cauldron | |||
| kuni | G | clan, family | cuni, kuni | ||
| laf | OE | remains, legacy | lafa, lafe, lava | span style=“color: hotpink; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif”>Oslafe | |
| leof | OE | dear, agreeable, beloved | lef, leff, leofu, lev | Leofric | popular for both men and women |
| linde | G | soft, tender | lind, linda, linde, line | Rosalind | |
| lufu | OE | love | love, luf | Loveday | |
| maht | G | might, strength | maht, mat, macht | Matilda | |
| man | G | man | mann, manni | Blæcmann | uncommon but not rare, usage exclusive to men |
| mær | OE | famous | mer | Kimberley | |
| milde | OE | gentle, mild | mild, mil | Mildred | |
| mund | G | protection | mond, monde, mund, munda | Raymond | usage more common on the Continent |
| noð | OE | daring, boldness; plunder | nod, nodi, noth | Notburga | |
| ord | OE | point (of a weapon) | ori | Ordgar | |
| os | OE | god | os | Oscar, Oswald | |
| oxa | OE | ox | ox | Oxford | |
| ragin | G | advice, counsel | ragin, rain, rayn, reyn, ron | Reynald | |
| ric | G | power, rule | ric, rici, rich, rick | Frederick, Richard | |
| run | ON | secret, advice, counsel | run, runa, rune, run | Wulfrun | |
| sæx | OE | dagger, knife, dirk | seax | Seaxburg | |
| sele | OE | great hall, house | Selemann | ||
| sidu | OE | habit, practice, custom | Leofsidu | rare | |
| sige | OE | victory | si, sige, sy | Sigeflæd | |
| stan | OE | stone | stani | Dunstan, Stanley | common element for men |
| sumor | OE | summer | somer, sumer, summer, sumr, svmr | Sumerlida | Sumerlida was a moneyer of Æthelred the Unready |
| swete | OE | sweet, pure, fragrant, pleasant | swet | Swetmann | common element for men |
| swiÞ | OE | strength, mighty, severe, violent | suid, svid, swide, swith, switha, swithe, swið, swyde | Frideswide | |
| sunne | OE | sun | sunn, synn | Sunniva | |
| Tiw | OE | Tyr, Germanic god | tig, tir, tue | Tuesday | uncommon |
| torht | OE | radiant, beautiful | torht | Torhtswith | |
| tid | OE | time, period, season | tidd, tyd | Tidemær | |
| trum | OE | firm, secure, strong, vigorous | trum | Trumwine | Trumwine was a Northumbrian bishop |
| treow | OE | tree, wood, timber | tre, tree, treo, treue, trew, trow | ||
| tun | OE | enclosure, garden, field, yard, village, town | tune | Tuneman | |
| weald | OE | power, ruler, leader | ald, old, wald, walt, weald, wold, woldi | Walter, Oswald | common element for men |
| weard | OE | guard, guardian | ard, ward, wardi, wart, weard | Edward | common element for men |
| wer | OE | man | were | ||
| west | OE | westwards | Westorualcna | extremely rare | |
| >weÞe | OE | mild, pleasant | weth | Wethburg | uncommon |
| wif | OE | woman, wife | wife, wive | Godwif | used exclusively for women |
| wig | OE | war, battle | pge, pig, uui, uuig, wig, wis, wy | Wigburg | |
| wil | OE | will, desire | wil, will, willi | William | |
| wine | OE | friend | uini, vin, win, wine, wini, wyn, wynne | Godwine | popular element |
| winter | OE | winter | pinter, pintr, wintr | Winterleda | Winterleda was a moneyer of Æthelred the Unready |
| witu | OE | tree, wood | wid | ||
| Woden | OE | Woden, Germanic god | wedne, wodan, wotan | Wednesday | cognate of Norse god Odin |
| wulf | G | wolf | olf, olph, ul, ulf, ulfi, uul, wulph, wulv | Beornwulf | |
| wynn | <OE | joy, rapture, pleasure | wen, wynn | Mærwynn | used exclusively for women |
| æðel | OE | noble | al, athel, ayl, el, ethel, ethyl, æil | Ethelinda | popular amongst men and women, mostly used as first element, cognate of German adel |
| ælf | OE | elf | alf, alv, elf, elv | Alfred | popular amongst men and women |
| æsc | OE | ash | aesc, asc, ash, ecs, ess, ælsc | Æscwynn | uncommon usage in Anglo-Saxon England |
| æx | OE | axe | |||
| Þegn | OE | thane, servant, soldier, warrior | thain, than, thegn, thein | Thegnwine | |
| Þorr | ON | Thor | thor, thur, thunr, tor | Thurstan | adopted after Viking invasions |
| Þryð | OE | strength | thryth, dred | Elfreda, Mildred | usage exclusive to women |
| Þurs | ON | a giant | thurs, thus, thuss, turs, tus, tus | Thusnelda |
