A 1910s favorite, climbing again.
Popularity of Edwards since 1912
Babies named Edwards per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1923, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Edwards's real moment was 1912.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 48 |
| 1920s | 71 |
| 1930s | 44 |
| 1940s | 42 |
| 1950s | 30 |
| 1960s | 48 |
| 1970s | 26 |
| 1980s | 11 |
| 1990s | 21 |
| 2000s | 51 |
| 2010s | 11 |
| 2020s | 22 |
Meaning & origin
Edwards is a rare given name derived from a common English surname. As a first name, it is essentially a modern usage of the surname, which itself originates from the Old English personal name Edward. The name first appeared in U.S. records in 1912, the same year it reached its peak rank at 9,714. After a period of very sporadic use, it has been rising in popularity since 2019, though it remains extremely uncommon with approximately 1 in 244,011 boys receiving the name in 2025. Edwards is most often chosen by parents seeking a distinctive surname-as-first-name option, fitting a broader trend of using family names as given names.
Edwards is a patronymic surname derived from the given name Edward, itself from Old English Eadweard, composed of ead 'wealth, fortune' and weard 'guard'. As a given name, Edwards is rare, typically reflecting a family surname used as a first name. Its use as a first name in the United States dates to the early 20th century.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Ed, Eddie, Eddy
Variants: Edward
Sibling names for Edwards
Names that share Edwards's style, for a brother or sister.
