I’d love to hear thoughts from this community on the name Edward. It’s such an English classic, with lovely nicknames options. However, although it’s ranked in the top 30 in the UK it doesn’t appear in the top 100 in Canada and is outside of the top 200 in the USA. The names Jack, Benjamin, Arthur, William, David and Henry were all in the Canadian top 100 for 2022. Where are the Edwards?!
I knew loads of Eds/Edwards growing up in southern England but have yet to meet one in North America. Why?! Is it considered dated here? Is it still well-loved in England? I’d be so grateful to hear your thoughts on Edward please!
I guess it’s just different cultural preferences. There are differences within the the UK itself - [name_u]Edward[/name_u] ranks fairly high in [name_u]England[/name_u] and [name_m]Wales[/name_m], but in [name_u]Scotland[/name_u] and Northern [name_u]Ireland[/name_u] it’s not even in the top 100.
I’m not a huge fan of [name_u]Edward[/name_u] myself - it just doesn’t speak to me and I find it rather old-fashioned (I’m not [name_f]English[/name_f], so that’s probably my own cultural bias showing).
I live in the US and [name_u]Edward[/name_u] doesn’t feel so much dated as just old-fashioned, to me. I do know a little [name_u]Edward[/name_u] (4th/5th grade) and it definitely works, though — it’s familiar but not common, which is nice!
I don’t know why, it is a very charming and classic name. It is not completely unheard of in [name_u]North[/name_u] [name_u]America[/name_u]. I live in the U.S. and I’ve met like 5ish people with the name.
I think that in the Canadian case, its apparent lack of popularity might be due in part to linguistic dynamics. About 20 - 25% of Canadians have [name_u]French[/name_u] as a first language. Many of the names you cite (Arthur, [name_u]David[/name_u], Benjamin) have the same spelling in [name_u]French[/name_u] and [name_f]English[/name_f] and are popular across the linguistic divide. [name_u]William[/name_u] is also popular in francophone and anglophone jurisdictions. However, while also popular in the [name_u]French[/name_u] part of the country, [name_u]Edward[/name_u] is spelt Édouard in Québec, where it is now the ninth most popular name. Different spellings of the same name will be recorded as different names altogether in the top, so that negatively affects the ranking of names with two spellings.
Mind you, [name_u]Edward[/name_u] might also sound old-fashioned to first language [name_f]English[/name_f] speakers in [name_f]Canada[/name_f], but I do not have the cultural background to confirm or infirm it.
Edward might be unpopular in the US right now because it’s consonant heavy as opposed to the trendy ‘liquid’ vowel filled names like Liam and Noah. Another reason might be that the Ed sound. Ed and Eddie sound very mid-century (thus not quite ready for revival). I’m not a huge fan of Edward (I like Edmund, Edgar, and Edwin better) but I do think it will make a comeback sooner or later. Maybe in a generation or two.
I think a lot of younger people have a strong [name_u]Twilight[/name_u] association with the name. Personally, I love the way it looks on paper and the way it sounds with a [name_f]British[/name_f] accent but for some reason the beauty of the name doesn’t translate to an American accent. It sounds clunky to me, rather than elegant. I have the same problem with [name_m]Roland[/name_m], which I love with a [name_f]British[/name_f] accent but hate in my own.
I wonder if [name_u]Edward[/name_u] is simply more of a classic name in [name_f]English[/name_f] culture Vs other Anglophone cultures. It does seem to be more consistently popular in [name_u]England[/name_u] than in Celtic countries like [name_u]Scotland[/name_u] and [name_u]Ireland[/name_u]. I’m just speculating here, but perhaps it has something do with the royal connection? [name_u]England[/name_u] has had many kings and princes called [name_u]Edward[/name_u] which maybe gives it greater cultural relevance there.
I love [name_m]Edmund[/name_m], but not [name_u]Edward[/name_u] and I live in CA.
[name_u]Edward[/name_u] seems fusty to me. Not wild about nickname [name_m]Ed[/name_m] or [name_u]Eddie[/name_u]. I do like [name_m]Ward[/name_m] though.
Edward’s lack of popularity in Scotland particularly may be due to a historical connection with Edward I. He was known as the Hammer of the Scots, and was famous for his wars and campaigns in Scotland. His son Edward II was also not a big friend of the Scottish people. I’m not suggesting people’s memories are that long, but it could explain a historic aversion to the name leading to a lack of use. To this day, the famous Scottish folk song “Flower of Scotland” (which is often sang at sporting events and I would say is quite beloved nationally) describes “standing against Proud Edward’s army”. Just a guess! 💙
I love the name Edward, but I am (unfortunately) English so it’s less of a surprise I think!
[name_u]Edward[/name_u] feels like a solidly popular name in the UK - not majorly on trend, but hovering around the 30-40 mark in my lifetime. I’ve met a couple of [name_m]Edwards[/name_m] of various ages - it’s a solid and formal with versatile nickname options. It’s a bit heavy and hefty for me though.
I’m not really sure why it’s not well-loved where you are - it gives me the same vibes as [name_u]William[/name_u], [name_u]David[/name_u], [name_m]Alexander[/name_m], [name_u]James[/name_u] and [name_u]Joseph[/name_u]
Although, a bit of me wonders if part of it is that [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] is currently so popular and offers similar nicknames, but feels fresher/has a touch more flair??
Was just coming to say this! Also, as an English-speaking Canadian, I have to say it does feel pretty old fashioned. I also think more recently, the Twilight association sort of put some parents off too.
In [name_u]America[/name_u], [name_u]Edward[/name_u] will be back, I have little doubt. It was in the Top 10 around 1900-1920 and has been slowly declining since the 30’s, meaning it sounds like a grandpa and great-grandpa name here (especially nn Ed.) But it’s a classic and it’ll come back around, especially as its strong consonant sounds come back into fashion.
However for me at least its partially pronunciation that puts me off [name_u]Edward[/name_u]. With Americans strong rhotic ‘r’ sound, it makes [name_u]Edward[/name_u] seem very clunky and awkward. And that could be said for other previouslely popular names that havent quite made a come back (Bertha, [name_f]Myrtle[/name_f], [name_m]Leonard[/name_m], Norma)
Where as the non rhotic pronunciation is softer and more appealing to my ears.
I think the Twilight association that has been mentioned is a big one! It was so loved/hated in its time, and people are still making fun of it. In middle school amongst the girls, it was all Team Edward or Team Jacob. I don’t think Jacob was affected because it’s been so common of a name here for so long that people don’t think of Twilight when they hear it, whereas Edward was not common during that time. I’ve never seen the movies nor read the books, but I think that association alone would lead me away from choosing the name. I imagine it will come back sometime because it sounds vintage now, and I bet it would have happened sooner if it weren’t for the the Twilight association.
We actually don’t have a lot of the Ed- names here in general. Out of Edward, Edmund, Edgar, Edwin, etc., Edward has been used most often historically (although I do think Edmund is starting to be used more than it had been). Other more traditional British names are not common here either though, such as Albert and Alfred which I have never heard of anyone in the states with those names, old or young. I’ve also never heard Edgar or Edwin used here. My husband’s family has a line of like 6 Edmunds, but all of them have only gone by Ted (except for one TJ for Ted Jr), which is a bummer because I think Edmund sounds much nicer than Ted. Other than that, I haven’t met an Edmund either!
I also second what others have said that Ted, Ed, Eddie, etc. are not charming nicknames here either, so parents would either choose the full name of Edward or pick a different name. They just don’t give the same vibes here as they do in the UK.
I’m American, and tbh [name_u]Edward[/name_u] does feel outdated to me. Alternatives [name_m]Edgar[/name_m] and [name_m]Edmund[/name_m] feel much fresher and nicer.
💙