What's In A Name: Conrad, Elizabeth

Conrad-Also spelled "Konrad," this name is a compound, with the "con" part meaning, "bold, brave," but also had the meaning, "wise, knowledgeable." It is Germanic and a relative of the verb "can" and of the adjective "keen." The "rad" part, also from Germanic, means "advice, counsel." So the name means like, "wise counsel." It was a popular name in the German lands, as there were German emperors, kings and other nobles with the name, as well as a Christian saint from the Lake Constance area in Germany. While it did have limited use in England long ago, its use increased in the 1800s, "perhaps" due to the strong familial ties of the British royal family and nobility to the German nobility.    

Elizabeth-Also spelled "Elisabeth," both of which are also most often used in German. A VERY common name in many countries and languages, with shortened forms like "Elly" and "Elli," and with MANY spelling variations in other languages, a few of which are: "Isabel/Isabela," in Spanish, Portuguese; Isabelle (French); Elisheva (Hebrew); Yelizaveta (Russian); Elisavet (Greek), but there are many more. The name goes back to transliterated Hebrew "Elisheva," the meaning of which seems to be hard to define, but which has to do with "God" and "oath." Greek took the name as transliterated Greek "Elisabet." As the New Testament of the Bible was written in Greek, the name spread into various languages, as I noted above, including to a Christian saint from Hungary, as "Erzsébet," in Hungarian. Its use in England, and in English, increased tremendously because of Queen Elizabeth I, the Queen of England from 1558 until 1603. The long reign of Queen Elizabeth II, begun in 1952, has certainly enhanced the name, as it remains a highly popular name in English.   

I consulted the following, so for more information on any of the names see, "A World Of Baby Names" by Teresa Norman, published by Perigee/Penguin Group, New York, 2003. 

WORD HISTORY:
Awl-This word "seems" to go back to an Indo European form "ohla/ela," meaning, "piercing tool." This gave Old Germanic "ahlo," with the same meaning; thus also, "awl." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "æl" and "eal" (dialectal variants?). This then became "alle" (likely pronounced like "ahl-leh"), before the modern version. Relatives in the Germanic languages: German has "Ahle," Low German Saxon "had" "al," but no longer uses it, Dutch has "aal," West Frisian "els" (?). Old Norse had "alr," but it seems to have died out in its descendants (an ending "r" was common in Old Norse words).