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Edmund

OriginEnglish
Meaning"fortunate protector"
GenderBoy & girl
US rank · boys#1082

2025 SSA

US rank · girlsUnranked

Below 5 births

About Edmund

The sophisticated Edmund and its nearly-identical French twin Edmond are coming out of mothballs now that Edward, inspired by Twilight, is once again a hot name. In fact, it's already a fairly popular choice on Nameberry and a solid presence on the England and Wales charts, where it's featured in the latter half since the 90s.

Dervied from Old English, Edmund is comprised of the elements ead and mund, meaning "rich, fortune" and "protection" respectively. As such, its meaning can be interpreted as "wealthy or fortunate protector". Regal and strong, Edmund's praises have been sung by Jane Austen ("There is nobleness in the name of Edmund") and John Keats ("Had my name been Edmund, I would have been more fortunate.")

Famous bearers include the English astronomer Edmund Halley, after whom the comet was named, poet Edmund Spenser, great Shakespearean actor Edmund Kean, and New Zealand mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary. Literary Edmunds appear in King Lear,, Jane Austen's Mansfield Park, Dickens's Little Dorrit, and C.S Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia.

Edmund reached its highest point of popularity in the U.S. in 1914, when it was Number 130 but it hasn't appeared in the charts since 1997, making it an uncommon alternative to the Top 300 Edward. The Edmund spelling was chosen for 175 babies in a recent year, while Edmond was picked for 63.

While Edmund is considerably rarer than other Ed- names then, if popularity does bother you, it is still worth bearing in mind that 1580 boys were called Edward in the US last year, while Edwin, Eduardo and Edgar are all in the Top 500. Edison and Eddie feature in the latter end of the charts and there's the popularity of nicknames Ted, Teddy, and Freddy to consider too, even more so if you happen to be in the UK. Should that put you off? Not necessarily, but it is something to think about if you're seeking rarity.

Eamon is the cheery Irish version.

Edmund is also given to girls.

Pronounced ED-mund.

As of October 2026, Edmund ranked #1082 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #130 in 1914, Nameberry popularity #281.

World rankings

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Edmund on lists

Famous Edmunds

  • Saint Edmund the MartyrBoy

    King of East Anglia

  • Edmund I and IIBoy

    Kings of England

  • Edmund BurkeBoy

    Irish statesman, political theorist, philosopher, author, and orator

  • Edmund SpenserBoy

    English poet

  • Edmund Henry GarrettBoy

    American illustrator

  • Edmund Sixtus "Ed" MuskieBoy

    58th U.S. Secretary of State

  • Sir Edmund Percival HillaryBoy

    New Zealand mountaineer

  • Edmund Gustav Albrecht HusserlBoy

    German philosopher

  • Edmund Gerald "Jerry" BrownBoy

    American politician; 34th and 39th governor of California

  • Edmund P. MurrayBoy

    American novelist and journalist

  • Edmund LenihanBoy

    Irish author and storyteller

  • Saint Edmund RichBoy

    13th,century Archbishop of Canterbury

  • Edmund GettierBoy

    American philosopher

  • Edmund John James ReidBoy

    English police detective and aeronaut

  • Edmund AnscombeBoy

    New Zealand architect

  • Edmund GouldingBoy

    English film director

  • Edmund AllenbyBoy

    English soldier and British Imperial Governor

  • Saint Edmund ArrowsmithBoy

    one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales

  • Saint Edmund CampionBoy

    one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales

  • Saint Edmund GenningsBoy

    one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales

  • Edmund "Ned" FoleyBoy

    son of actor Dave Foley

Edmund in pop culture

  • EdmundBoy

    character in Shakespeare's "King Lear"

  • Edmund PevensieBoy

    character in "The Chronicles of Narnia"

  • Edmund BlackadderBoy

    character on TV's "Blackadder," named after the character in King Lear

  • Edmund BertramBoy

    character in Jane Austen's "Mansfield Park"

  • Edmond DantesBoy

    main character in Alexandre Dumas' "The Count of Monte Cristo"

  • Edmund TyroneBoy

    character in Eugene O'Neill's "Long Day's Journey into Night"

  • Edmund ReidBoy

    character on TV's "Ripper Street"

  • Edmund FitzgeraldBoy

    a ship that sank in the Great Lakes

  • "Wreck of the Edmund FizgeraldBoy

    " song by Gordon Lightfoot

  • EdmundBoy

    character in G. A. Henty's "The Dragon and the Raven"

  • Edmund 'Bunny' CorcoranBoy

    character in Donna Tartt's "The Secret History"

  • Edmund "Ned" ChicaneBoy

    beloved character in the second campaign of the podcast "The Adventure Zone"

Variations & nicknames

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