Edgar
Edgar was the 486th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 617 babies. Its best year was 1881, when it ranked 51st; the most babies were born in 2005 (2,454). Over the last ten years it has moved down 169 places. More babies were named Edgar in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning wealth + spear · Old English
Say it ED-gar /ˈɛdɡər/
- Rank in 2025
- #486 boys, down 95 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 617boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20052,454 babies
- Total since 1880
- 157,919babies recorded
What does the name Edgar mean?
Edgar is an Old English name, Ēadgār, from ēad, "wealth, prosperity", and gār, "spear". DMNES lists the 10th-century King Edgar of England, the uncrowned Edgar Ætheling, and a king of the Scots; the Random House dictionary glosses the parts "rich, happy" and "spear". It was revived in the 19th century; Edgar Allan Poe is a famous bearer.
ēad (Old English, “wealth, prosperity”)gār (Old English, “spear”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Ed, Eddie, Edgardo, Otger.
See also: English names, names that mean warrior.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Edgar', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Edgar', DMNES, Durham University
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'Edgar', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
Nicknames for Edgar
The usual nicknames for Edgar are Ed and Eddie. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Edgar in the last five years, 40 were named Eddie, against 30 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ed · also for Edward, Edwin, Edmund | Traditional | — | 22 |
| Eddie · also for Edward, Eduardo, Edwin | Traditional | #861 | 1,431 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Edgars go by each one.
Edgar popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 705 since 1880.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #486 | 617 |
| 2020 | #391 | 789 |
| 2010 | #218 | 1,644 |
| 2000 | #177 | 2,072 |
| 1990 | #143 | 2,207 |
| 1980 | #252 | 888 |
| 1970 | #303 | 666 |
| 1960 | #294 | 716 |
| 1950 | #209 | 937 |
| 1940 | #164 | 985 |
| 1930 | #119 | 1,526 |
| 1920 | #89 | 2,029 |
| 1910 | #80 | 441 |
| 1900 | #71 | 374 |
| 1890 | #61 | 338 |
| 1880 | #61 | 283 |
How popular is Edgar, counting every spelling?
Edgar has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #492 for boys in 2025, against #486 on the official list, because Kason/Kasen/Casen and Mohamed/Mohammad/Mohammed and Chosen/Chozen/Chozyn move ahead once their spellings are combined.
How many kids will share the name Edgar?
617 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Edgar (0.17 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Edgar born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 14 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Edgar.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Edgar?
About 93,000 people born in the US named Edgar are alive today, with a median age of 31; half are between 20 and 46. That makes Edgar mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Edgar by state
How common Edgar was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Mexico (2.7×), Texas (2.3×), Arizona (2.3×), California (2.1×), Kansas (1.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Mississippi, Kentucky, Louisiana.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Edgar: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Edgar, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Edgar · Sibling names for Edgar
Questions about the name Edgar
What does Edgar mean?
Edgar means “wealth + spear” (Old English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Edgar?
Edgar was the 486th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 617 babies. Its best year was 1881, when it ranked 51st; the most babies were born in 2005 (2,454). Over the last ten years it has moved down 169 places. More babies were named Edgar in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Edgar a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Edgar in the US.
Where is Edgar most popular?
In 2021–2025, Edgar was most common in New Mexico (1.09 per 1,000 boys), followed by Texas and Arizona.