Canadian as well here. I’ve known Edwin’s, Eddie’s, and Ed’s over my life, but no one that’s gone by [name_u]Edward[/name_u].
To be honest it feels like an awful name to say, vaguely reminding me of the word wart, and just feels unappealing when said aloud. This is probably just a me thing haha
I don’t mind it in movies and it sounds right in movies and in historical context, but, it’s just unattractive to me for some reason.
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Thanks for all this feedback: so much great information! I’m slightly sad and quite surprised to hear how little love there is for an Edward/Ed/Eddie in [name_u]North[/name_u] [name_u]America[/name_u], but I am grateful to know. [name_m]Even[/name_m] more surprising to me is how Edmund/Edgar would be a fresher/more popular choice! That seems very much the inverse of how they would be received in the UK. (I have several relatives/ family friends named [name_m]Edmund[/name_m] in the 60+ age group, so perhaps I am influenced by my own experience). To a [name_u]Brit[/name_u], Edward’s absence does seem conspicuous here, but I think I now have more of an understanding of why that is.
I do think, however, as @LibelluleClaire and @auroradawn point out, that it will likely change in time. [name_u]Edward[/name_u] doesn’t feel any more clunky or old-fashioned to me than [name_u]Arthur[/name_u] or [name_u]Henry[/name_u] did 15 years ago, and both are leaping through the ranks now. As you say, @Greyblue, it gives the same vibes as many other traditional male names that are well-used here. Perhaps the accent does have a lot to do with this. I hadn’t considered the pronunciation difference, but I could see how the hard “R” might change the sound, particularly in the US. I think @Schyler 's point about the current fashion for soft-sounding, vowel-filled names actually makes a lot of sense as a way to explain the lack of popularity.
@annela and @leafsgirl44 : It’s so interesting–Quebec naming is a different game entirely! I generally much prefer the [name_m]Quebec[/name_m] baby-name lists (perhaps as they generally read closer to the UK lists?) and I often find that well-loved favorites from back home appear there and in the birth announcements of Quebecois friends when they are almost unheard of in the English-Canadian charts (both [name_u]Florence[/name_u] and Edward/Édouard–both in the [name_m]Quebec[/name_m] top 10, but outside the 100 everywhere else in the country–are great examples of this).
Lastly, I would never have thought of the [name_u]Twilight[/name_u] connection (I’m clearly from the wrong generation)! I can’t imagine that association will remain strong for too much longer, especially with such a classic name, but perhaps I am underestimating its influence over here!
Anyhow, thank you so much for this informative discussion. I think I’ll keep [name_u]Edward[/name_u] in my pocket for now, but will feel very excited when I meet some little Canadian [name_m]Edwards[/name_m] in the future (even if they aren’t mine!)
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Edmund and Edgar feel even more old-fashioned to me than Edward, but I feel like Edward is a name I’d expect a grandfather to have, while Edmund/Edgar feel more ready for a comeback because they’re older, if that makes sense 
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I live in Canada, most people who I’ve met named Edward are in their 40+ I think that it’s just going through a cycle and will come back at some point the way other “old” names do. Other than that, I think people are looking towards less “harsh” sounding names. I don’t mean that as in “mean, rude” but the sound of Edward itself has a sharp, old, kind of dusty feel to it currently. It also has a strong twilight reference to it and a lot of people find that series “cringe”. But maybe in 20 years it will become popular again and it will have different feelings towards it.
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I’m from the States and I much prefer [name_m]Edwin[/name_m], [name_m]Edmund[/name_m], and [name_m]Eduardo[/name_m] to [name_u]Edward[/name_u]. I think Edward’s too clunky; maybe it’s the two D’s.
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I don’t have much love for [name_u]Edward[/name_u] and his typical nicknames [name_m]Ed[/name_m] and [name_u]Eddie[/name_u], only because they sound and feel a bit bland in my opinion, but I quite like [name_m]Ned[/name_m]. It’s a charming little nickname-name, and if there was an [name_u]Edward[/name_u] to honor or consider, I would take the shortcut and just use [name_m]Ned[/name_m].
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I’m sure it will rise in popularity again in the states. [name_f]Vintage[/name_f] girl names have been ahead of vintage boy names as far as popularity and comebacks go.
[name_u]Edward[/name_u] isn’t so much dated or old fashioned as it is formal and difficult to picture on a baby.
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