# Ethelbert (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/ethelbert/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | “noble”, “bright” |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 183 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 178 / 5 (3% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | not in the ONS data |

## Etymology

Revived from Old English Æþelbeorht, from Proto-West Germanic *Aþalaberht. Compound of Old English æþele (“noble”) + beorht (“bright”). Doublet of Albert.

## What it means

Ethelbert is grouped under light and noble.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1927 | 5 | 5,041 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1921 | 12 | 2,536 |
| 1922 | 6 | 4,000 |
| 1923 | 9 | 3,032 |
| 1924 | 5 | 4,565 |
| 1925 | 8 | 3,229 |
| 1926 | 9 | 2,983 |
| 1928 | 7 | 3,474 |
| 1929 | 5 | 4,159 |
| 1930 | 6 | 3,719 |
| 1931 | 7 | 3,198 |
| 1932 | 5 | 3,944 |
| 1933 | 8 | 2,815 |
| 1941 | 5 | 3,665 |
| 1948 | 5 | 3,848 |
| 1975 | 5 | 5,735 |

## In other languages

- German: Adalbert
- Italian: Adalberto
- Portuguese: Adalberto
- Russian: Адалбе́рто
- Spanish: Adalberto

## People named Ethelbert

- Ethelbert William Bullinger, British Anglican clergyman, biblical scholar and theologian (1837-1913)
- Ethelbert Lort Phillips, British naturalist, botanist and ornithologist (1857-1943)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.