Hi Jennifer,
I was wondering what the name Alpherie meant. It was my grandfather’s name, and it’s not on your site. Do you know anything about it?
Sincerely,
Jean
Dear Jean,
As far as I can tell from my research, Alpherie is a French derivative of the German name ALFHER or more modern name OLIVER. It literally translates to “elf army” with alf meaning “elf” and “hari” meaning “army.”
Contrary to what most people believe–and other sites misstate–the names Oliver and Olivia do not mean “from the olive tree/branch.” They are both derivatives of this same name and meaning!
Hail to the Elf Armies!
Jennifer
Jennifer Moss (she/her) is the founder of BabyNames.com, author of The Baby Names Workbook, and Producer of The Baby Names Podcast. Jennifer is widely regarded as the leading expert on popular baby name trends and the naming process, serving as the authoritative source on the subject for national and international media.
Jennifer entered the tech arena in the 80s as a software developer and database architect, and became a pioneer in the Internet industry. In addition to operating BabyNames.com, Jennifer owns a web development agency in central California.
