Aubrey

English

Etymology

From the (deprecated template usage) [etyl] French names Aubrey and Aubry; derived ultimately from the Germanic name Alberic, from Proto-Germanic *Albirīks, from *albiz (“elf, fairy”) +‎ *rīks (“king, ruler”). Possibly influenced by Gaulish Albiorīx (literally "ruler of the world"). Cognates include German Alberich and Italian Alberico.

Pronunciation

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Proper noun

Aubrey

1. An English patronymic surname.
2. A male given name from the Germanic languages or transferred from the surname.
   • 1595, William Shakespeare, King Henry VI, Part 3, Act III,Scene III:

     Call him my king, by whose injurious doom / My elder brother, the Lord Aubrey Vere, / Was done to death?

3. A female given name transferred from the surname, of 1970s and later American usage.