Given name & surname · also English
Edward
“a wealthy protector”
Edward is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “a wealthy protector.”
Original Old EnglishEadweard
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “a wealthy protector.”
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 weard (“guard”).
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
Edward through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,308,955
- 1,303,594 boys · 5,361 girls
- Most popular year
- 1924
- 21,223 babies
- 2025
- 1,591
- #224 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −24%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 1,591 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 224 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 24.4% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 21,126 in 1924. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (152). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 616,122 as a first name in 2020; 4,486 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.
Edward’s family of names
In English usage, Edward has a diminutive in Eddie. Edward has a later derivative in Eduardo. In Polish usage, Edward has a conventional equivalent in the Swedish form Eduard.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Edward has relatives in 63 languages. Lines run from its Old English roots to each of them.
Old Englishwhere Edward comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 26
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Eduardovariant · Italian, Portuguese
- Teddydiminutive · English
- Eddiediminutive · English
- Eddypet form · English
- Warddiminutive · Dutch
- Teddiediminutive · English
- Teddiminutive · English
- Eduardvariant · Slovak, Romanian
Show 18 moreShow fewer
- Edoardovariant · Italian
- Nedpet form · English
- Edwardovariant
- Edvardvariant · Norwegian Bokmål, Finnish
- Eddshort form
- Edwarddlikely variant
- Eddwardlikely variant
- Neddydiminutive · English
- Eddiminutive · English
- Ewartvariant
- Edouardvariant · Middle French
- Edekdiminutive · Polish
- Êdouardvariant · nrf
- Edortavariant · Basque
- Edvardasvariant
- Edikvariant
- Eadwardvariant
- Edwardzikdiminutive · Polish
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 66
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- EadweardOld English
- Duartederivative · Portuguese, English
- Eduardafeminine form
- Edeequivalent
- Edwardafeminine form
- EdvardoEsperanto
- Edualdoequivalent
- Eudaldoequivalent
Show 52 moreShow fewer
- Douwårdequivalent
- Eduardasequivalent
- Edwardson“son of” surname · English
- ЭдвардRussian
- ЭдуардRussian, Belarusian
- ܐܕܘܪܕborrowing · aii, Syriac
- Audvardcognate · Norwegian Nynorsk
- 愛德華borrowing · Chinese
- Էդվարդderivative · Armenian
- ΕδουάρδοςGreek
- Édouardderivative · French
- Edwearddescendant · yol
- Éadbhardderivative · Irish
- Eideequivalent
- Eduartequivalent
- Eduarteequivalent
- Odoardoequivalent
- EdvárdHungarian
- ЕдуардUkrainian, Bulgarian
- Etiuatitvl
- EdardManx
- ЕдвардMacedonian
- EdvardsLatvian
- EduardsLatvian
- Iorwerthsee also · Welsh
- Едуа́рдUkrainian
- ÉdoSlovene
- ÉdiSlovene
- ÉdvardSlovene
- DuartuSicilian
- Eideardderivative · Scottish Gaelic
- Э́двардRussian
- Эдуа́рдRussian
- ادواردPersian
- JátvarðrOld Norse
- एडवर्डMarathi, Hindi
- ErueraMāori
- DwarduMaltese
- ÈdvardasLithuanian
- EduárdasLithuanian
- EdwardusLatin
- EduardusLatin
- 에드워드Korean
- エドワードJapanese
- Játvarðuralso known as · Icelandic
- EðvarðIcelandic
- इदवार्दHindi
- אדוארדHebrew
- EkewakaHawaiian
- ΈντουαρντGreek
- ედვარდიGeorgian
- ედუარდიGeorgian
And 6 more.
See also 8
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Edward
- Edward SnowdenAmerican whistleblower and former NSA contractor (born 1983)
- Edward JennerEnglish physician, scientist and pioneer of vaccination (1749–1823)
- Eddie MurphyAmerican actor and comedian (born 1961)
- Edward VIIIKing of the United Kingdom in 19361894–1972
- Edward GibbonEnglish historian and politician (1737–1794)
- Edward VIking of England and Ireland from 1547 to 15531537–1553
- Ed SheeranEnglish singer-songwriter (born 1991)
- Edward NortonAmerican actorborn 1969
- Edward SaidPalestinian-American professor (1935–2003)
Characters named Edward: Riddler (fictional character, a comic book supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics), Edward Mordake (British urban legend), Edward Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist), Eddie Brock (Marvel Comics).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
- People who changed the world
- Tech innovators
- Royal and aristocratic names
- Early Beginnings: settler names
- Most Popular Names of the 1920s
- Most Popular Names of the 1910s
- Most Popular Names of the 1900s
- Most Popular Names of the 1890s
- Philosophers
- E Names
- The Generation Gap: names described as in
- Psychologists
- Classic Names
- Composers
- Senators
- Activists
- Names That Command Respect
- Royalty
Similar names
If you love Edward, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Edwin
“a wealthy friend”
>99% boys
Elroy
“a red-haired young man” · “a king”
>99% boys
Rexford
“from the king's ford”
>99% boys
Reynold
“the king's advisor”
>99% boys
Jack
“God is gracious” · “the son of Jack or John”
>99% boys
Howard
“army guardian” · “the guardian of the home”
>99% boys
Edmond
“a wealthy protector”
>99% boys
Ben
“son of the south; son of the right hand” · “one who is blessed”
>99% boys