Aetheling, in Anglo-Saxon England, generally any person of noble birth. Use of the term was usually restricted to members of a royal family, and in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle it is used almost exclusively for members of the royal house of Wessex. It was occasionally used after the Norman Conquest to designate members of the royal family—e.g., William the Aetheling, son and heir of King Henry I.
The earlier part of the word formed part of the name of several Anglo-Saxon kings—e.g., Aethelbert, Aethelwulf, Aethelred—and was used obviously to indicate their noble birth.