Wilfred

Wilfred meaning

Wilfred is a Christian and international boy's name of Old English origin.

Will, desire + peace (Old English wil, friþ)

Also used to mean: desires peace, will for peace

Wilfred comes from the Old English name Wilfrid, made of wil and friþ. Bosworth and Toller's Anglo-Saxon dictionary defines wil as will or pleasure, a thing desired, and friþ as peace, especially the peace and protection guaranteed by law or by the Church. So the name is read as 'desiring peace' or 'will for peace'. Its saint is Wilfrid of York (about 634–709), a forceful Northumbrian bishop who founded monasteries at Ripon and Hexham and argued for the Roman date of Easter at the Synod of Whitby. In India Wilfred is used in Christian families.

Source: Bosworth and Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (1898), 1225 (wil); 338 (friþ) · entry wil; friþ · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026

References: Bosworth-Toller, wil · Bosworth-Toller, friþ · Wikipedia, Wilfrid

Famous namesakes

• St Wilfrid, bishop of York

Popularity abroad

• #113 England and Wales, boys 2025
  Office for National Statistics

Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.

Spellings

Wilfred · Wilfrid · Wilfried

Related names

Also meaning peace

Also starting with Wil-

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