Boy Name of the Week: Alfie

I decided to choose the Name of the Week from the Top 1000 baby names chart from England/Wales in 2012. My choice is #7, Alfie.  England is big on nickname names which basically means names that end with -ie and have a longer, "proper form" as well.  In this case, Alfie comes from the name Alfred.

Derived from Old English, Alfred is composed of elements that mean "Elf Counsel".  This name dates back as far as Alfred the Great in the 9th-century, and probably farther. He was the King of Wessex who notoriously fought against the Danes living in northeastern England. Beyond that, he was a scholar who translated many Latin books into Old English.

The name Alfred became very rare by the end of the middle ages and wasn't revived until the 18th century. Another famous Alfred was Lord Tennyson, a British poet who lived from 1809-1892.

Alfred peaked in usage in the US in 1928 when 6,244 baby boys were born, ranking the name at #33. Since then it has gone downhill.  It seems to be in danger of falling off the top 1000 chart in the next couple years at the rate it is falling. It fell to #949 in 2012 with only 211 boys born.

Source

As for Alfie, it may be #7 in England, but here in the States, it is no where near the Top 1000.  With a mere 13 births in 2012, Alfie ranks in at a very unpopular #6271. The name has always been sporadically used. There are no births on record for 2002-2005, and it is even worse before then, except for a slight peak from 1966-1978.  Alfie first appeared in the US in 1917, but it was rarely used. In fact, there were only 44 Alfie's born between 1917 and 1949, and none again until that peak in 1966.

I would use the combo Alfie James because I think its adorable.  Other ideas include Alfie Richmond, Alfie Theodore, Alfie Sebastian and Alfie Thomas.

What do you think? Are you a fan of these nickname names? Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Sibling Name Ideas:
Other Nickname Names: Archie, Charlie, Freddie, Jamie, Teddy, Willy / Ally, Betsy, Evie, Jackie, Katie, Millie, Nellie

Sisters: Alice, Caroline, Elizabeth, Genevieve, Josephine, Katherine, Marion, Rose, Tabitha
Brothers: Andrew, Arthur, Edward, Frederick, George, Henry, Jack, Matthew, Peter, Thomas

Middle Name Ideas:
Alfie Theodore
Alfie Jonathan
Alfie Logan
Alfie Benjamin
Alfie Warren

As a Middle Name:
Nathan Alfie
Wilfred Alfie
Vincent Alfie
William Alfie
Daniel Alfie