Meaning and history
Edward means “rich guard,” from the Old English elements ead meaning “wealth” or “fortune” and weard meaning “guard.” It was borne by several Anglo-Saxon kings, most notably Saint Edward the Confessor, the last before the Norman Conquest in the 11th century; his reputation as a just ruler helped keep the name in use after most other Old English names were replaced by Norman ones. In the 13th century, Henry III named his son and successor Edward after the saint, and seven later kings of England also used the name. It is one of the few Old English names found throughout Europe in various spellings, and notable bearers include the composer Edward Elgar (1857–1934) and Charlotte Brontë’s character Edward Rochester in Jane Eyre (1847).
20062006: 2,871 births, rank #141
2007: 2,828 births, rank #145
2008: 2,796 births, rank #148
2009: 2,988 births, rank #137
2010: 2,905 births, rank #136
20112011: 2,671 births, rank #148
2012: 2,597 births, rank #157
2013: 2,711 births, rank #145
2014: 2,591 births, rank #162
2015: 2,602 births, rank #158
20162016: 2,518 births, rank #162
2017: 2,328 births, rank #169
2018: 2,286 births, rank #170
2019: 2,054 births, rank #192
2020: 1,952 births, rank #195
20212021: 1,749 births, rank #218
2022: 1,752 births, rank #216
2023: 1,737 births, rank #213
2024: 1,589 births, rank #228
20252025: 1,591 births, rank #224
Edward rose from #228 to #224 for boys between 2024 and 2025. Its highest annual birth count came in 1924, with 21,126 births.