The story
Probably a patronymic surname, with prosthetic H-, from the Old English personal name Ǣþelweald, a compound of ǣþel (“noble”) + weald (“power, authority”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Today it means: A surname originating as a patronymic [in turn from Old English]. Full definition →
Probably a patronymic surname, with prosthetic H-, from the Old English personal name Ǣþelweald, a compound of ǣþel (“noble”) + weald (“power, authority”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.