Audrey

Audrey f

English: drastically reduced form of the Old English female name Æðelpryð, composed of the elements æðel noble + pryð strength. This was the name of a 6th-century saint (normally known by the Latinized form of her name, Etheldreda), who was a particular favourite in the Middle Ages. According to tradition she died from a tumour of the neck, which she bore stoically as a divine punishment for her youthful delight in fine necklaces. The name went into a decline at the end of the Middle Ages, when it came to be considered vulgar, being associated with tawdry, that is, lace and other goods sold at fairs held in her name (the word deriving from a misdivision of Saint Audrey). Shakespeare bestowed it on Touchstone's comic sweetheart in As You Like It. In the last century such associations have largely been forgotten, and the name has enjoyed some revival of popularity. The form Audra is also used, especially in the southern United States in double names such as Audra Jo and Audra Rose.