Given name & surname
Edel
“a clever woman”·“one who is noble”
Edel is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “a clever woman” (German) and “one who is noble” (German). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “a clever woman” (German) and “one who is noble” (German). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is German.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1906. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Edel through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 556
- 503 boys · 53 girls
- Most popular year
- 2006
- 26 babies
- 2025
- 13
- #6,556 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −5%
- Steady
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 13 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 6,556 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 5.2% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 22 in 2005. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,611 as a first name in 2020; 989 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Edel’s family of names
In Norwegian usage, Edel has a conventional equivalent in the English form Ethel. Edel has a related form in Edlyn. Edel has a related form in Edlin.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 10
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Edelynvariant
- Edelinvariant
- Edlynvariant
- Edellvariant
- Edlinvariant
- Edellevariant
- Eddellikely variant
- Edelenvariant
Show 2 moreShow fewer
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Edel
- Edel QuinnRoman catholic Lay missionary1907–1944
- Edel Therese HøisethNorwegian speed skaterborn 1966
- Edel Hætta EriksenNorthern Saami schoolteacher and politician (1921–2023)
- Edel SaunteDanish judge (1904-1991)
- Edel EckbladNorwegian actress1914–1994
- Edel RandemNorwegian figure skater (1910-2001)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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