Double-headed eagle, symbol of Mercia. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Leo is a lion of a name, a stylish nineteenth century favorite parents are rediscovering today.
This medieval rarity shares some of his sounds. Thanks to Katherine for suggesting Leofric as our Baby Name of the Day.
A child named Leofric would probably answer to Leo, but the names are actually unrelated. Leofric comes from leof – beloved – combined with the popular ric – power. Both elements appear in plenty of Anglo-Saxon names, like Leofwine and Wulfric.
There were two famous bearers in pre-Norman England. First is Leofric, Earl of Mercia and builder of monasteries. He’s best known not for his achievements, but for his wife – Lady Godiva. The Danish prince Cnut conquered England in 1016, and became King Canute of England. Mercia was one of four mighty provinces established by the new ruler, with each of the districts was given to an Anglo-Saxon noble. This gift made Leofric wealthy, powerful, and loyal to the new regime. When he was ordered to levy hefty taxes in his lands, he did so – and here comes the Godiva legend. The story goes that she stripped naked and took to her horse, with only her hair to shield her, in an effort to convince Leofric to lift the taxes.
History finds fault with many details of Godiva’s ride, but her tale is the best chance for a revival of Leofric. Movie versions were filmed in 1928 and 1955. A 21st century revival would help boost the name, but alas, nothing is in the works.
The second Leofric is more obscure. He was the Bishop of Exeter at the time of the Norman invasion, a powerful landowner thanks to gifts from a grateful king, and the proprietor of a large library.
Most Anglo-Saxon names were forgotten after the Norman invasion, with only a few revived thanks to literature or a passion for history. I found just a few sprinkled amongst aristocratic nineteenth century families:
- Archibald James Leofric Temple Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, the Earl of Ava, born in 1863.
- Charles Leofric Thomas Temple-Richards, who passed the middle onto his son, Alec Thomas Leofric, born in 1995.
Whether you’re impressed by the historical figures or not, there are plenty of parents looking for a Leo- name these days. From 2010’s Top 1000 list:
- Hollywood-fueled Leonardo ranked #150
- Leo came in at #193
- Knox Jolie-Pitt’s middle, Leon, came in at #417
- Then there’s Leonel at #448
- Leonard at #628
- And the ancient warrior Leonidas, ranked #927
Add in Leopold, Leobardo, Leondre, and a bunch of other Leo- names in some use, and the return of Leofric wouldn’t be the strangest thing to happen in 2012.
If you’re looking for a dashing middle, or an unusual, medieval appellation with an easy short form, Leofric has a lot of possibility.
This is my name. So there is a third Leofric of notoriety. Me.
Check me out at http://www.oacfchurch.com
How fabulous – thanks for stopping by, Leofric!
I really like Leofric! Though my favorite Leo name is the extravagant Leonidas. I do see some pronunciation issues and I trip a bit over Lay-o-fric vs Lee-o-fric. Well, now I know Lady Godiva’s husband had an awesome name 🙂
I’ve never heard this one before, but I really like it! I’m always looking for quirky, obscure, and historical names to add to my middle name list.
Oooo, I like this one. I think its very wearable for a modern child with the nn Leo and all.
Thanks for profiling this! I love it, but hubby insists if we use Leo it has to be just Leo. I was willing to give him the long form of his choice, but no go.
I initially liked the idea of Leofric, but the name’s pronunciation isn’t as intuitive as the other Leo names. (I imagine it would frequently be mispronounced like Leo Frick.) I think I’ll stick with my favorite Leo names Lionel and Leon.
The Anglo-Saxons pronounced it Lefrich/Lovrich, not Lee-o-fric. In Old English, ic is pronounced itch. That’s how it produces the surname Leverage/Loveridge 🙂 I’d pronounce it lay-o-fritch.
I like a lot of Leo- names — Leofric is one I hadn’t considered. Very cool.
While I like Leo, and love Leopold, I don’t care for Leofric at all. It’s the ending -fric I find unappealing.
Hubby would be all over this. He’s also a big fan of Leonidas.
I love Leofric — one of my favourite Anglo-Saxon names. I feel quite attached to it because I live in Coventry. In some ways that makes it unusable for me — unless I move cities — as most Coventrians are familiar with the name and the man. We have several buildings with his name “The Leofric” is a hotel, there’s a Leofric Business Park, a Leofric Lodge, pubs, bars etc….
It’s a nice idea (I love a good “ric” ending), but that f just throws me off — it’s too similar to a swear-word substitute that was popular during my university days.