Where does “Alfred” come from?
Alfred (Swedish) comes from English Alfred, from Middle English Alfred, from Old English Ælfræd, from Old English ræd, from Proto-Germanic *rād, from Proto-Germanic rēdaz, from Proto-Indo-European Hréh₁dʰos, from Proto-Indo-European Hreh₁dʰ- — to fit, to fix, to put together.
Ancestry of “Alfred”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Alfred | — |
| 2 | Middle English | Alfred | — |
| 3 | Old English | Ælfræd | — |
| 4 | Old English | ræd | advice; decision; plan |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | *rād | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | rēdaz | advice, counsel |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | Hréh₁dʰos | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | Hreh₁dʰ- | to think; to arrange; to succeed, accomplish |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂reh₁- | to think, reason; to arrange |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂er- | to fit, to fix, to put together |