Looking for a selection of traditional girl names for your new baby?
We provide the Kidadl guide to the 91 best Old English names here (and give you a little lesson in the history of Old English too)!
Old English was spoken between the 5th and 12th centuries in areas of England and southern Scotland, and is the earliest historical form of the English language. Old English came to the country as a result of Anglo Saxon settlers, who arrived around the mid-5th century. Old English girl names, therefore, have their roots in Germanic languages, and are pre-Medieval, dating from before 1150AD, when the Middle Ages began, and Middle English became the vernacular language. Before the late 14th century, fewer than a thousand names were in use - and the most popular were John and Alice.
We'll guide you through the best of those names, so that you can find the perfect selection of Old English girls' names for your new baby. Plus, if you're feeling the Celtic call, why not check out our list of 100 best Scottish names - or perhaps natural names are more your style?
Morwen- Derived from the Cornish for 'maiden', meaning virtuous.
Chelsea- It might be a popular London borough, but in Old English, Chelsea meant 'the landing place of a river'.
Edith- Another name that may imbue luck to any baby girl, meaning 'expensive gift'.
Holly- You guessed it, from the festive holly tree.
Ripley - An unusual unisex name meaning 'from the clearing'.
Ravenel- Another unisex name, meaning 'raven'.
Odilia - Of Germanic origin, meaning 'with wealth' or 'prosperous'.
Corliss- The feminine form of Carlisle, typically meaning 'cheerful' and 'generous'.
Blossom- From the Old English for 'lovely' and 'full of promise'.
Demelza - Demelza is a hamlet in Cornwall, and is one of the more traditional girls' names. Also meaning 'fort on a hill'.
Perry - A unisex name and short form of 'peregrine', from which 'pilgrim' comes.
Aida- Meaning 'joyful'.
Brook- An Old English word still used in modern parlance, meaning 'stream'.
Golda- From the Old English for 'to shine'.
Avon- Meaning 'river', after which the River Avon also takes its name.
Conwenna- Has its etymological roots in old Celtic (the precursor of Old English).
Kim- This name has different meanings. 'Chief', 'fortress', and 'meadow' are all inferences.
Audrey- From the Germanic 'aldric' meaning 'ancient power' or ' noble strength'.
Edda- A potentially lucky baby name for any girl, meaning 'rich'.
Courtney- The 'court' prefix here determines this name's meaning, which is 'courteous' and 'dignified'.
Farrah- Meaning 'beautiful'.
Shirley - Originally a first name in its Gaelic form, meaning 'untamed'.
Flora- Traditionally referencing 'flower', and an ideal name option for spring or summer baby.
Hazel- A beautiful baby name taking inspiration from nature, and specifically the hazel tree.
Blaine- A beautiful unisex option that means 'source of the river'.
Beaten - The old Cornish version of Beatrice.
Locke- An unusual moniker, meaning 'stronghold'.
Hollace- Another baby name taking inspiration from nature, meaning 'close to the holly bush'.
Maida- Old English for 'maiden'.
Ivy- Another natural English baby name, after the festive plant.
Mirth- As expected, a name meaning 'happiness' or 'mirth'.
Hedwig- A Scandinavian name meaning hidden weapon (not Harry Potter's owl!).
Afton- Celtic and Old English origins, taking influence from the River Afton.
Arantxa- Old English for 'thorn bush'.
Alcott- Old English, meaning 'old cottage'.
Ariana- Meaning 'silver' in Old English.
Hope- A somewhat spiritual option for a baby name, meaning 'faith'.
Blythe-- Meaning joyous, but also named for a river, the Old English translation of which was 'gentle' and 'pleasant'.
Leslie- 'Small meadow' is the inference for this potential baby name.
Bailey- Has multiple meanings. One is 'strength' or 'fortification', but Bailey is also a compound of the Old English 'beg' for 'berry' and 'leah' for 'woodland clearing'.
Godiva- Meaning 'gift of god', a resonant name option for any baby girl.
