Ethelbert

Ethelbert is an Old English masculine name composed of the elements æthel, meaning noble, and beorht, meaning bright or famous, giving the overall sense of nobly bright or illustrious. It was borne by several early medieval Anglo-Saxon rulers, most notably Æthelberht of Kent, the sixth-century king who became the first Christian king among the Anglo-Saxons and under whom Augustine of Canterbury carried out his mission. The name fell out of everyday use after the Norman Conquest but saw occasional antiquarian revival in the nineteenth century. Its Old English root æthel also appears in related names such as Alfred, Ethel, and Albert.