Alfred is derived from the Old English name Ælfræd, meaning "elf counsel" (from ælf - "elf" and ræd - "counsel"), although it is now also known to mean "wise" or "sage". Alfred the Great, the 9th century king of Wessex, popularised the name in England to the degree that it survived the Norman Conquest (when many Old English names were replaced with Norman ones). It was revived in popularity in the 18th and 19th centuries.