Elfriede, also known as Elfreda, Elfrida, Alfrida, Aelfrida, Elfrieda, Elftrude, Elftraut among other variants, is a female given name, derived from ''Ælfþryð'' (Aelfthryth) meaning "

elf An elf (: elves) is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic peoples, Germanic folklore. Elves appear especially in Norse mythology, North Germanic mythology, being mentioned in the Icelandic ''Poetic Edda'' and the ''Prose Edda'' ...

-strength". The name fell out of fashion in the Middle Ages and was revived in the 19th century in both England and Germany. Although some of its modern forms like Alfieda can be mistaken for feminine versions of

Alfred Alfred may refer to: Arts and entertainment *''Alfred J. Kwak'', Dutch-German-Japanese anime television series * ''Alfred'' (Arne opera), a 1740 masque by Thomas Arne * ''Alfred'' (Dvořák), an 1870 opera by Antonín Dvořák *"Alfred (Interlu ...

, that derives from ''Ælfræd'' ('elf-counsel' or 'wise-elf'). The Southern German diminutive

Friedel Friedel or Friedl is a Southern German diminutive variation of the surname Fried - or alternately, a diminutive of Elfriede - and may refer to: Four French scientists with the same Friedel family name are in direct lineage, Charles, Georges, ...

Friedl Friedl is a Southern German diminutive variation of the name Fried - or alternately, a diminutive of the feminine given names Elfriede and Frederika. Notable people with the name include: Given name *Friedl Behn-Grund (1906–1989), German cinema ...

is nowadays more common than the full name.

Medieval

* Saint

Ælfflæd of Whitby Saint Ælfflæd (654–714) was the daughter of King Oswiu of Northumbria and Eanflæd. She was abbess of Whitby Abbey, an abbey of nuns that were known for their skills in medicine, from the death of her kinswoman Hilda in 680, first jo ...

, daughter of King

Oswiu of Northumbria Oswiu, also known as Oswy or Oswig (; c. 612 – 15 February 670), was King of Bernicia from 642 and of Northumbria from 654 until his death. He is notable for his role at the Synod of Whitby in 664, which ultimately brought the church in Northu ...

and

Eanflæd Eanflæd (19 April 626 – after 685, also known as Enfleda) was a Deiran princess, queen of Northumbria and later, the abbess of an influential Christian monastery in Whitby, England. She was the daughter of King Edwin of Northumbria and Æt ...

, abbess of

Whitby Abbey Whitby Abbey was a 7th-century Christian monastery that later became a Benedictine abbey. The abbey church was situated overlooking the North Sea on the East Cliff above Whitby in North Yorkshire, England, a centre of the medieval Northumbrian ...

(654–714) * Saint

Ælfthryth of Crowland Ælfthryth, also known as Alfreda, Alfritha, Aelfnryth, or Etheldritha, is a Mercian princess, saint, virgin, and recluse, venerated in both the Catholic Church and Antiochian Orthodox Church. She was a daughter of King Offa of Mercia and his ...

(died c. 795) * Ælfthryth, wife of King Coenwulf of Mercia (

fl. ''Floruit'' ( ; usually abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for 'flourished') denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indic ...

810s) *

Ælfthryth, Countess of Flanders Ælfthryth of Wessex (c. 877 – 7 June 929), also known as Elftrudis (Elftrude, Elfrida), was an English princess and a List of countesses of Flanders by marriage, countess consort of Flanders to Baldwin II, Margrave of Flanders, Baldwin II. ...

, daughter of King

Alfred the Great Alfred the Great ( ; – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who both died when Alfr ...

(d. 929) * Elftrude, daughter of

Adele of Vermandois Adele of Vermandois (bef. 915–960) was both a Carolingian as well as a Robertian Frankish noblewoman who was the Countess of Flanders by marriage (934–960). Life Adele, born Detlev Schwennicke, ''Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Gesc ...

and

Arnulf I, Count of Flanders Arnulf I (/899 – 27 March 964), called "the Great", was the first Count of Flanders. Life Arnulf was the son of margrave Baldwin II of Flanders and Ælfthryth of Wessex, daughter of Alfred the Great. Through his mother he was a descendant of ...

(10th century) * Ælfthryth, wife of Edgar, king of England, mother of Ethelred the Unready (d. 1000)

Modern

Elfrida Andrée Elfrida Andrée (19 February 1841 – 11 January 1929), was a Swedish organist, composer, and conductor. She was the sister of Swedish opera singer-soprano Fredrika Stenhammar. Life and career Andrée was born on 19 February 1841 in Visby to ...

(1841–1929), Swedish organist, composer and conductor *

Elfrida De Renne Barrow Elfrida De Renne Barrow (January 7, 1884 – October 1, 1970) was an author and poet who was honored as a Georgia Woman of Achievement. She joined the Georgia Historical Society in 1920 as a curator and one of the first women allowed into the or ...

(1884–1970), American author and poet * Elfriede

Elfi von Dassanowsky Elfriede "Elfi" von Dassanowsky (February 2, 1924October 2, 2007) was an Austrian-born singer, pianist, and film producer. Early life Elfi von Dassanowsky (also known as Elfi Dassanowsky or Elfriede Dassanowsky) was born Elfriede Maria Elisab ...

(1924–2007), Austrian-born singer, pianist and film producer * Elfriede

Elfi Eder Elfriede "Elfi" Eder (born 5 January 1970 in Leogang) is a former alpine skier from Austria. She represented the Caribbean island of Grenada Grenada is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The southernmo ...

(born 1970), Austrian former alpine skier *

Elfriede Florin Elfriede Florin (26 March 1912 – 7 March 2006) was a German actress who was popular in the 1950s and 1960s, and is best known for featuring in the 1958 film ''Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, F ...

(1912–2006), German actress *

Elfriede Geiringer Elfriede Geiringer Frank (Fritzi; née Markovits; 13 February 1905 – 2 October 1998) was a Jewish survivor of World War II and the Holocaust. She was the second wife of Otto Frank, who was the father of Anne and Margot Frank. Biography Early ...

(1905–1998), Austrian Holocaust survivor, second wife of Otto Frank, father of Anne Frank *

Elfriede Gerstl Elfriede Gerstl (16 June 1932 – 9 April 2009) was an Austrian author and Holocaust-survivor. Gerstl, who was Jewish, was born in Vienna, where her father worked as a dentist. Biography She survived the war years by hiding in various locations w ...

(1932–2009), Austrian author and Holocaust survivor * Elfriede

Elfi Graf Elfi Graf (born ''Elfriede Sepp''; 20 November 1952 in Dornbirn, Vorarlberg) is an Austrian Schlagersinger. Biography Graf was born in Dornbirn and grew up there with her two siblings. She studied classical music, but did not complete the course. ...

(born 1964), Austrian singer *

Elfriede Jelinek Elfriede Jelinek (; born 20 October 1946) is an Austrian playwright and novelist. She is one of the most decorated authors to write in German and was awarded the 2004 Nobel Prize in Literature for her "musical flow of voices and counter-voices ...

(born 1946), Austrian playwright, 2004 Nobel laureate in Literature *

Elfriede Lender Elfriede Amanda Lender (19 May 1882 Tallinn – 10 April 1974 Stockholm) was an Estonian teacher and pedagogue. Lender was the founder of the first Estonian-language girls' school in the Estonia. Since 1901 she worked as a teacher in Tallinn. In ...

(1882–1974), Estonian teacher and pedagogue *

Elfrida Pigou Elfrida Mary Pigou (February 28, 1911 – July 30, 1960) was a prominent Canadian mountaineer and pioneer with many first ascents to her credit. She was born in Vernon, British Columbia, the daughter of Meynell Henry Pigou and his wife Lilian ...

(1911–1960), Canadian mountaineer *

Elfrida Rathbone Elfrida Rathbone (1871–1940) was an English educationist and a member of the noted Rathbone family of Liverpool and the cousin of Eleanor Rathbone, who was an MP and campaigned for children's rights. Career She was born in Liverpool in July ...

(1871–1940), English educationist *

Elfriede Rinkel Elfriede Lina Rinkel (née Huth, 14 July 1922 – July 2018) was a German Nazi guard at the Ravensbrück concentration camp from June 1944 until April 1945, known for using an SS-trained guard dog to abuse prisoners. After the war she fled to t ...

(nee Huth) (1922–2018), guard at the Ravensbrück concentration camp *

Elfriede Saarik Erika Elfriede Elena Saarik (since 1941 Elfriede Tubin; 22 May 1916 – 22 October 1983) was an Estonian dancer and stage actress. Career Elfriede Saarik was born in the Karkaraly District of Karaganda in Kazakhstan to Estonian parents. From 1 ...

(1916–1983), Estonian dancer and stage actress * Elfriede Scholz (1903–1943), German victim of Nazi persecution, sister of author

Erich Maria Remarque Erich Maria Remarque (; ; born Erich Paul Remark; 22 June 1898 – 25 September 1970) was a German novelist. His landmark novel '' All Quiet on the Western Front'' (1928), based on his experience in the Imperial German Army during World War ...

* Alfreda "Freda" Simmonds (1912–1983), New Zealand artist * Elfriede Trötschel (1913–1958), German soprano * Elfriede Tungl (1922–1981)

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ** Austria-Hungary ** Austria ...

civil engineer. *

Elfrida Vipont Elfrida Vipont Brown (3 July 1902 – 14 March 1992) was an English writer of children's literature. She was born in Manchester into a family of Quakers. As a children's writer, she initially published under a man's name, Charles Vipont, which wa ...

, pen name of Elfrida Vipont Foulds (1902–1992), British author of children's books

Medieval

Modern

See also