Every Boy Name

Boy's name

Edward

Say it ED-werd 2 syllables

Old English · “wealth, riches + ward, guard”

Common across England and Wales, Australia, and New Zealand. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 20 more places.

1 in 196 boys born in England and Wales in 2025. Number 31 there.

Edward in every place

Rank, count and share in all 40 places: loved in 0, common in 6, rare in 23.
Edward in every place we hold figures for
Place Rankyear Boysshare 5 years earlier
British Isles
England and Wales31 (down)20251,3851 in 196292020
Scotland148 (down)2025301 in 6551402020
Northern Ireland159 (down)2025141 in 5921232020
Ireland125 (down)2025431 in 552902020
North America
Ontario (province)174 (down)202478about 1 in 7681212019
Quebec (province)217 (down)202525about 1 in 1,1621392020
British Columbia (province)176 (up)202320about 1 in 6511812018
Nova Scotia (province)Not in the published top 212025Not listed2020
Oceania
New South Wales (state)75 (down)2025110422020
Victoria (state)50 (down)2025130472020
Queensland (state)49 (down)2025104432020
South Australia (state)33 (up)202542382020
New Zealand77 (down)202552662020
Western Europe
France668 (up)2025601 in 5,0457202020
NetherlandsRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Central Europe
Austria981 (down)202531 in 12,6896022020
Switzerland1,124 (down)202551 in 7,2007162020
Berlin (city)768 (down)20233about 1 in 5,1704732018
Munich (city)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Cologne (city)Rare: below the complete list20239802018
Bonn (city)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Leipzig (city)241 (up)20252about 1 in 1,4384032020
Rostock (city)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Nordic countries
Norway189 (up)2025241 in 9702372020
Sweden310 (down)202525about 1 in 1,7251942020
DenmarkNot in the published top 502025Not listed2020
FinlandNot in the published top 502025No list2020
IcelandNot in the published top 102025No list2020
Southern Europe
SpainNot in the published top 1002024Not listed2019
Catalonia (region)Rare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Italy283 (new in the list)2024471 in 4,029Not listed2019
Central and Eastern Europe
Poland102 (up)20251681 in 7521252020
HungaryNot in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
SloveniaRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
EstoniaNot in the published top 272025Not listed2020
Moscow (city)Not in the published top 612025Not listed2020
CroatiaNot in the published top 502025No list2020
Middle East
TurkeyNot in the published top 302025Not listed2020
IsraelRare: below the complete list2024Not listed2019
Latin America
ArgentinaNot in the published top 202024Not listed2019

Germany publishes no national list; the German rows are city registers. About: the publisher leaves out its smallest names, so the share is approximate. ▲ and ▼ compare the rank with five years earlier. Not listed five years earlier: not in that year’s list. No list: the place published no list that year. How these figures are computed.

About the name

Old English Ēadweard, made of words for 'wealth, riches' and 'ward, guard', is the source of Edward. It is a double of Eduard.

2 more paragraphs

It has two syllables, ED-werd, and a steady, traditional sound. Ed is the obvious short form, and related names include Edvard, Edoardo, Edouard and Eduard.

Edward is popular in England and Wales and holds a place in South Australia and Queensland. It is rarer on the Continent. Canadian records put its peak in the 1930s, and it is now falling in more places than it is rising, though it remains a familiar classic.

Meaning, origin and how to say it

Say it
ED-werd · 2 syllables · Stress on beat 1 of 2.
Meaning
“wealth, riches + ward, guard”
Origin
Old English
Related names
Edvard, Edoardo, Eetu, Edouard, Eduard, Ēadweard, Eduarte, Ed, Eudaldo, Edualdo, Eddy, Eduards, Eduardo, Eduardus, Eide, Eduardas
Where Edward comes from (Wiktionary)

From Middle English Edward, from Old English Ēadweard, from Proto-West Germanic *Audawardu, from Proto-Germanic *Audawarduz, corresponding to ed (“wealth, riches”) + ward (“ward, guard”), doublet of Eduard.

Shortened from the Wiktionary entry for Edward. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Edward over time

Rising in 2 of the 16 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 7. Peak in Ontario and British Columbia: 1936.

Rank in England and Wales, 1996 to 2025

Edward in England and Wales: #45 in 1996, a peak of #23 in 2016, and #31 in 2025.

#1#10#50#100#300200020052010201520202025Top 101996: #45, 1,658 boys1997: #44, 1,711 boys1998: #44, 1,709 boys1999: #43, 1,605 boys2000: #45, 1,523 boys2001: #44, 1,451 boys2002: #46, 1,376 boys2003: #45, 1,412 boys2004: #43, 1,604 boys2005: #46, 1,552 boys2006: #42, 1,659 boys2007: #40, 1,780 boys2008: #42, 1,825 boys2009: #44, 1,795 boys2010: #43, 1,903 boys2011: #40, 1,935 boys2012: #36, 2,088 boys2013: #33, 2,273 boys2014: #31, 2,417 boys2015: #26, 2,593 boys2016: #23, 2,429 boys2017: #23, 2,461 boys2018: #24, 2,197 boys2019: #24, 2,125 boys2020: #29, 1,751 boys2021: #29, 1,806 boys2022: #31, 1,612 boys2023: #30, 1,501 boys2024: #31, 1,461 boys2025: #31, 1,385 boys#45 in 1996peak #23, 2016#31in 2025
Show the numbers
YearRankBoys
1996451,658
1997441,711
1998441,709
1999431,605
2000451,523
2001441,451
2002461,376
2003451,412
2004431,604
2005461,552
2006421,659
2007401,780
2008421,825
2009441,795
2010431,903
2011401,935
2012362,088
2013332,273
2014312,417
2015262,593
2016232,429
2017232,461
2018242,197
2019242,125
2020291,751
2021291,806
2022311,612
2023301,501
2024311,461
2025311,385

Source: Office for National Statistics (OGL v3)

The long view: in Ontario and British Columbia

Half of the boys named Edward in Ontario and British Columbia since 1925 were born in or after 1954. Peak: 1936, about 2,286 per 100,000 boys. Babies per 100,000 boys, five-year periods.

1925-1929: 1,542.7 per 100,000 boys1930-1934: 1,534.1 per 100,000 boys1935-1939: 1,846.1 per 100,000 boys1940-1944: 1,461.2 per 100,000 boys19401945-1949: 1,162.5 per 100,000 boys1950-1954: 1,011.6 per 100,000 boys1955-1959: 843.1 per 100,000 boys1960-1964: 735.1 per 100,000 boys19601965-1969: 670.2 per 100,000 boys1970-1974: 506.9 per 100,000 boys1975-1979: 354.4 per 100,000 boys1980-1984: 241.9 per 100,000 boys19801985-1989: 223.2 per 100,000 boys1990-1994: 174.3 per 100,000 boys1995-1999: 155.4 per 100,000 boys2000-2004: 159.4 per 100,000 boys20002005-2009: 141.4 per 100,000 boys2010-2014: 160.4 per 100,000 boys2015-2019: 176.9 per 100,000 boys2020-2024: 142.5 per 100,000 boys20201935-1939: about 1 in 54 boys
Show the numbers
YearsPer 100,000 boys
1925–19291,542.7
1930–19341,534.1
1935–19391,846.1
1940–19441,461.2
1945–19491,162.5
1950–19541,011.6
1955–1959843.1
1960–1964735.1
1965–1969670.2
1970–1974506.9
1975–1979354.4
1980–1984241.9
1985–1989223.2
1990–1994174.3
1995–1999155.4
2000–2004159.4
2005–2009141.4
2010–2014160.4
2015–2019176.9
2020–2024142.5

Source: Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (OGL-Ontario); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (OGL-BC). Dark bar: the period holding the median birth year.

Brothers and middle names for Edward

Brother names

Names that rose and fell with Edward, from the same generation, with no clashing sounds.

  1. 1 in 622, England and Wales

  2. 1 in 145, Ireland

  3. 1 in 130, Ireland

  4. 1 in 137, Scotland

  5. 1 in 731, England and Wales

  6. 1 in 285, England and Wales

  7. 1 in 1,000, England and Wales

  8. 1 in 88, England and Wales

  9. 1 in 552, Northern Ireland

  10. 1 in 92, Northern Ireland

All 40 brother names for Edward

Middle names

Scored for rhythm against Edward's 2 syllables and for long, steady use.

  1. 1 in 86, England and Wales

  2. 1 in 50, Ireland

  3. 1 in 61, Northern Ireland

  4. 1 in 103, England and Wales

  5. 1 in 130, Scotland

  6. 1 in 62, Poland

  7. 1 in 88, England and Wales

  8. 1 in 137, Scotland

Full-name check

Edward Oliver

Syllables 2-3Initials E.O.No sound clashes between the parts.

All 40 middle names for Edward

Sisters for Edward: Bonnie, Eleanor, Elizabeth, and 5 more
  1. BonnieRose and fell with Edward · Same generation as Edward
  2. EleanorRose and fell with Edward · Same generation as Edward · Same initial as Edward
  3. ElizabethRose and fell with Edward · As common as Edward · Same initial as Edward
  4. MarthaRose and fell with Edward · Same generation as Edward
  5. LillianRose and fell with Edward · Same generation as Edward
  6. IsabelleRose and fell with Edward · As common as Edward
  7. MaryRose and fell with Edward · Same generation as Edward
  8. ElsieRose and fell with Edward · Same initial as Edward

Girls' names from the same engine, over the girls' lists of the same publishers.

Moved with Edward

The boy names whose popularity rose and fell most like Edward's across every region and decade we hold.

  1. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 16 more places.

  2. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 13 more places.

  3. Common across the UK, Sweden, Austria, and 10 more places.

  4. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 9 more places.

  5. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 16 more places.

  6. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 11 more places.

  7. Rare in Italy, Poland, Israel, and 15 more places.

  8. Rare in France, Italy, Poland, and 13 more places.

Famous people named Edward

Edward Snowden, Edward Jenner, and 6 more
  • Edward Snowden born 1983

    American whistleblower and former NSA contractor

  • Edward Jenner 1749 to 1823

    English physician, scientist and pioneer of vaccination

  • Edward VIII 1894 to 1972

    King of the United Kingdom in 1936

  • Edward VII 1841 to 1910

    King of the United Kingdom from 1901 to 1910

  • Edward Gibbon 1737 to 1794

    English historian and politician

  • Edward VI 1537 to 1553

    King of England and Ireland from 1547 to 1553

  • Edward Norton born 1969

    American actor

  • Edward Said 1935 to 2003

    Palestinian-American professor

From Wikidata, ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article on them. People: Wikidata (CC0). Links go to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists, else English.

Questions about Edward

How popular is Edward in England and Wales?

Edward ranked #31 in England and Wales in 2025, given to 1,385 boys, about 1 in 196.

Is Edward rising in popularity?

Not overall: it is falling in more places than it is rising. Rising in 2 of the 16 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 7. Rising in: Poland and Norway.

What does Edward mean?

Edward means “wealth, riches + ward, guard”, according to Wiktionary.

How many syllables does Edward have?

Edward has 2 syllables: ED-werd.

Every rank and count on this page comes from an official birth register. How these figures are computed.

Meanings, origins and people: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikidata (CC0).

The 42 birth registers behind these figures

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Kept names collect here.

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