ead

Ead is a term from Old English meaning wealth, fortune, or prosperity. It occurs in early Anglo-Saxon literature and charters and, beyond everyday vocabulary, long served as a meaningful element in personal names and, less often, in place names. In names, the element expresses a wish for prosperity or protection for the bearer; it combines with other roots to produce a wide range of forms.

Examples of its usage in names include Edgar, Edwin, and Edith, which descend from earlier compounds such as Eadgar, Eadwine, and Eadgyth. The component appears in numerous royal and noble names of the early medieval period, and is often echoed in modern forms of the same names. In such compounds, ead may be paired with elements referring to strength, protection, gift, or warfare.

In historical documents, the word appears in its basic sense, as well as within names; it is discussed in studies of Old English onomastics and linguistic genealogy. The standalone word ead has no common modern usage outside scholarly or historical contexts, but the legacy of the element persists in English given names and in the etymology of several common names such as Edward, Edgar, and Edith.

Ead is sometimes treated as a Medieval or Old English root in name studies, illustrating how naming practices encoded social wishes for prosperity and protection. Its influence remains evident in the linguistic construction of many modern English names.