Eadgifu

Eadgifu is an Old English feminine name derived from the elements ead "wealth, fortune" and giefu "gift", thus meaning "wealth-gift" or "fortune-gift". It was a common name among Anglo-Saxon royalty and nobility.

Etymology

The name belongs to a class of Old English compound names (dithematic names), where the two elements are often drawn from a set of common components. The first element ead appears in many Anglo-Saxon names, such as Eadweard (Edward), Eadmund (Edmund), and the feminine Eadgyth (Edith). The second element gifu means "gift" and is also seen in names like Wulfgifu.

Historical Bearers

Several notable Anglo-Saxon women bore the name Eadgifu:

• Eadgifu of Kent (died c. 966) was the third wife of King Edward the Elder of Wessex and the mother of Kings Edmund I and Eadred. She was a wealthy landowner and a key figure in 10th-century English politics, outliving her husband by many decades.
• Eadgifu of Wessex (902 – after 955) was the daughter of King Edward the Elder and the wife of King Charles the Simple of West Francia. She played a central role in the dynastic struggles of 10th-century France.
• Eadgifu, Abbess of Leominster – a convent leader who appears in Domesday Book records, granted by Edward the Confessor.
• Eadgifu the Fair (c. 1025 – c. 1086) was a wealthy pre-Conquest English landowner, reputedly the first wife of King Harold Godwinson. She is best known for being depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry as "Edgyva" encouraging a cleric.

Variants and Legacy

The name was Latinized as Ediva or Edgiva in medieval chronicles. It is the feminine counterpart of the masculine Eadgifu (though the name is already feminine) and is linguistically parallel to names like Eadgyth (Edith) and Ealdgyth (Aldith). After the Norman Conquest, the name fell out of use, being replaced by Norman variants.

• Meaning: "wealth-fortune gift"
• Origin: Old English (Anglo-Saxon)
• Type: Feminine given name
• Usage Regions: England (Anglo-Saxon period)