Entry № 1049 · French origin

Aubrey Aubrey — Meaning, Origin & Baby Name Popularity

/ AW-bree /
Gender
Girl
Origin
French
Meaning
"Elf counsel, wise ruler"
Syllables
2
First recorded
Medieval

A name that means "elf counsel, wise ruler".

Aubrey comes from the Norman French Aubri, from the Old Germanic Alberic — composed of alf (elf) and ric (ruler) — meaning "elf ruler" or "wise counsel from elves." In medieval European folklore, Alberic was a king of the dwarves; the name carried mythic weight in early Norman France.

Aubrey was originally a male name and remained so until the late 20th century. is recent and complete: today over 95% of Aubreys born are girls. It sits in the U.S. top 75.

Elf counsel, wise ruler — a French name.

The name in its native script.

Aubrey
Transliteration
Aubrey
Pronunciation
/ ˈɔː.bri /
Root
Grammatical form

Where Aubrey stands.

Aubrey does not currently appear in the US Social Security Administration's top 1,000 girls' names, so we don't publish a US rank or birth count for it. That says nothing about the name's standing elsewhere in the world — only that it sits outside the ranked US data we rely on.

Aubreys before her.

Real people
Aubrey Beardsley
English illustrator. Defining artist of the Aesthetic Movement.
1872 – 1898
Aubrey Plaza
American actress. Known for Parks and Recreation and The White Lotus.
born 1984
In fiction
Aubrey
Character in Pitch Perfect.
2012 film

Names connected to Aubrey.

The number behind Aubrey.

9

The Giver

In Pythagorean numerology the letters of Aubrey reduce to 9, The Giver. This is a traditional interpretive system, not a factual claim about the name.