Girl, originally a boy's name, still used for boys · Germanic (via Old French) · International
Aubrey
AubreySay it AW-bree
- Meaning today
- Elf ruler
- Original meaning
- "ruler of elves (from Alberich: alb 'elf' + rīc 'ruler')" Bosworth-Toller, entries 599 and 25772
- Say it
- AW-bree
- Other spellings
- Aubree, Aubrie
Aubrey
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Aubrey meaning
Aubrey is an international girl's name of Germanic origin (via Old French).
Ruler of elves (from Alberich: alb 'elf' + rīc 'ruler')
Also used to mean: elf ruler
Aubrey came to England with the Normans as Auberi, the French form of the Old High German name Alberich. Etymonline glosses Alberich as "ruler of elves": its first part is the Germanic word for an elf, Old English ælf, and its second is the word for rule or power, Old English rīce, which goes back to the same ancient root as Latin rex and Sanskrit rāj, "king". In German legend Alberich is the dwarf king who guards the Nibelung treasure. For centuries Aubrey was a man's name, as with the illustrator Aubrey Beardsley; it is now given to girls as well. It is said AW-bree.
Source: Bosworth-Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (1898), entries 599 and 25772 · entry ælf; ríce · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Online Etymology Dictionary, Aubrey · Bosworth-Toller, ælf · Bosworth-Toller, ríce (noun) · Online Etymology Dictionary, rich
Famous namesakes
- Aubrey Beardsley, English illustrator
Popularity abroad
- #146 United States, girls 2025 (down 14 from 132 in 2024)
US Social Security Administration - #191 England and Wales, girls 2025
Office for National Statistics
Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.
Spellings
Aubrey · Aubree · Aubrie