Given name & surname · also Old English
Edgar
“a powerful and wealthy spearman”
Edgar is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “a powerful and wealthy spearman.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “a powerful and wealthy spearman.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Old English.
How it developed
Its Old English formation brings together éad (“prosperity, riches, fortune”) and gar (“spear”).
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Edgar through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 157,919
- 157,214 boys · 705 girls
- Most popular year
- 2005
- 2,459 babies
- 2025
- 617
- #486 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −21%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 617 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 486 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 20.8% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 2,454 in 2005. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (150). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 132,092 as a first name in 2020; 11,278 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.
Edgar’s family of names
In English usage, Edgar has a diminutive in Eddie. In English usage, Edgar shares a linguistic root with the Norwegian Nynorsk form Audgeir. In Portuguese usage, Edgar has a related form in Edgardo.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Edgar has relatives in 14 languages. Lines run from its Old English roots to each of them.
17 related names in 14 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 25
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 11
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Adairequivalent
- Játgeirequivalent
- ЭдгарRussian
- Audgeircognate · Norwegian Nynorsk
- Էդգարborrowing · Armenian
- Edgarasborrowing · Lithuanian
- Geirrcognate · Old Norse
- Otgerequivalent
Show 3 moreShow fewer
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Edgar
- Edgar Allan PoeAmerican writer and literary critic (1809–1849)
- Edgar de WahlEstonian teacher and linguist (1867–1948)
- Edgar Rice BurroughsAmerican writer (1875–1950)
- Edgar AdrianEnglish electrophysiologist (1889-1977)
- Edgar LunguPresident of Zambia from 2015 to 2021 (1956–2025)
- Edgar, King of EnglandKing of the English (r. 959–975)943–975
- Edgar DavidsDutch association football player and managerborn 1973
- Edgar MitchellAmerican astronaut (1930-2016)
- Edgar Æthelingdisputed King of England1050–1125
Characters named Edgar: Edgar Stiles (the television series 24).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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