Ethelred
ETH-el-red
Anglo-Saxon
"noble counsel"
Share
Copy link
Updated Thu Mar 13 2025
Ethelred Origin and Meaning
The name Ethelred is a boy's name meaning "noble counsel".
Also spelt Aethelred, this was the name of two Saxon kings of England. The most famous is Ethelred II "The Unready", who actually reigned as King twice: from 978-1013 and from 1014-1016. His nickname comes not from the modern word "unready", but rather from a pun on the Old English unræd "poorly advised" (Ethelred means "well advised" or "noble counsel").