Awdry Family History

From Audrieu (Calvados), which is recorded as Aldreium in 1108, the first known bearer of this name in England, William de Aldrie, was executed for treason in 1095. There appears to be no other medieval evidence for the surname in Wilts, where William's lands were. Nevertheless, the post-medieval evidence for Awdry in Wilts and for Audrey in adjacent counties has been tentatively assigned to this etymology. This is partly because the same surname (and perhaps the same family as William) occurs continuously elsewhere (in Durham from the 12th to the 14th centuries) and partly because a Robert Audrey is recorded in Oxon in 1279.

Alternatively, the Wilts, Berks, Oxon, and Gloucs surnames may derive from the relationship name identified earlier. Odry is an occasional post-medieval variant, which as Odery survived sporadically in England until the 1881 census but has now become extinct. The name also has roots in the Middle English female personal name Aldrith, which sometimes became Audrey due to a 15th-century pronunciation change of /ald/ to /aud/.

This personal name derives from one of three Old English female personal names: Æðelþrȳð, Ælfþrȳð, and Ealhþrȳð. The first element in these names is æðel meaning ‘noble’, ælf meaning ‘elf, sprite’, or ealh meaning ‘shrine, temple’. The second element is þrȳð, which translates to ‘strength, force’. The most popular name was Æðelþrȳð, commonly Latinized as Etheldreda, which appeared in various Middle English forms like Atheldrith(e), Aildrith, and others.

This name was borne by Saint Etheldred (later known as Saint Audrey), Queen of Northumbria and daughter of Anna, King of East Anglia. She was the founder and first abbess of the monastery at Ely around 672, and her continuing cult after the Norman Conquest likely contributed to the survival of the personal name well into the 14th century, especially in East Anglia. Common Middle English forms such as Aldreth and Eldrid may have contributed to Aldred, whose main location is in East Anglia, along with Eldred, which is common in Eastern England.

The etymology also traces back to French Auduroy, which means ‘(son) of (someone surnamed) Duroy or Durey’, signifying ‘(son) of (someone nicknamed) the king’ (Old French le roi or le rei). Auduroy, possibly through its variant Audurey, may have been shortened to Audry and confused with a different surname, French Audri, derived from the Old French male personal name Audri, which itself has roots in the Continental Germanic Aldric.