Edward — #228 US boys' name
1,301,987 babies named Edward in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1924. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
More common than 98% of names given to boys today.
15% of everyone ever named Edward was born in this single decade.
21,126 babies were named Edward in 1924 — its busiest year on record.
What the Data Says About Edward
The Social Security Administration has registered 1,301,987 babies named Edward between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Edward currently holds the #228 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1924, when 21,126 babies received it in a single year.
Decade-level aggregation shows that Edward performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 197,347 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Edward shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 152,947 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Pennsylvania and California. In total, SSA state-level files list Edward in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.
No etymological entry is currently available for Edward in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 1,301,987 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.
Edward at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
Current rank
Active since
Edward popularity over time — boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880
- Peak year (1924)
- 21,126
- Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
Currently ranks #228 among boys.
1,301,987 total births across 145 years of SSA records. Peaked in 1924 with 21,126 births in a single year.
Edward popularity over time — girls
5,361 total births recorded since 1882 (Edward as girls' name)
Unisex use remains the minority pattern
The girls' variant of Edward accounts for 0% of total recorded use across both genders.
Edward by decade
Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance
- Peak decade
- 1920s
- 197,347 births that decade — 15% of Edward's all-time total
Edward decade highlights
- Peak decade 197,347 births
- Runner-up 188,328 births
- Modern era share 2010s + 2020s
- Decades tracked with recorded births
1920s was Edward's strongest decade
197,347 babies received the name during that ten-year window — about 15% of all-time use.
Edward by state
Where Edward concentrates geographically — total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 152,947 | 11.7% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 121,729 | 9.3% |
| #3 | California | | 82,170 | 6.3% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 79,752 | 6.1% |
| #5 | New Jersey | | 62,000 | 4.8% |
| #6 | Massachusetts | | 60,341 | 4.6% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 59,875 | 4.6% |
| #8 | Texas | | 52,477 | 4.0% |
152,947 of 1,301,987 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Top 5 states
- New York 11.7% of nationwide
- Pennsylvania 9.3% of nationwide
- California 6.3% of nationwide
- Illinois 6.1% of nationwide
- New Jersey 4.8% of nationwide
Recorded in 51 of 51 SSA jurisdictions
New York accounts for 11.7% of all recorded births nationwide — a relatively diffuse profile for this name.
Edward appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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Keep exploring Edward
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Data Sources
Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.