US rank #228 Boys' name Peak 1924 1,301,987 births

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.

1880s231331890s220331900s245161910s1257201920s1973471930s1478481940s1747981950s1883281960s1439801970s834361980s608331990s451642000s308272010s252572020s8767
#228
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 98% of names given to boys today.

1920s
Peak decade

15% of everyone ever named Edward was born in this single decade.

1924
Single peak year

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' name

Total births

1,301,987

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1924

21,126 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

#228

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Edward popularity over time — boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Top 1,000 boys' name
Peak year (1924)
21,126
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
05,00010,00015,00020,00025,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 2,364

Edward popularity over time — girls

5,361 total births recorded since 1882 (Edward as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 5,361 births
-50050100150 201419891973195719411925190918921882 5

Edward by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
197,347 births that decade — 15% of Edward's all-time total
1880s231331890s220331900s245161910s1257201920s1973471930s1478481940s1747981950s1883281960s1439801970s834361980s608331990s451642000s308272010s252572020s8767

Edward by state

Where Edward concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Edward
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%
New York share of Edward's total US births 11.7%
Even split

152,947 of 1,301,987 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.

Edward appears in 51 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Edward?
1,301,987 babies have been named Edward since 1880. It currently ranks #228 among boys. The peak year was 1924 with 21,126 births.
When was Edward most popular?
Edward was most popular in the 1920s decade with 197,347 total births. The single peak year was 1924.
Where is Edward most popular?
The top states for the name Edward are New York (152,947 births), Pennsylvania (121,729 births), California (82,170 births).
How long has the name Edward been used?
Edward has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Edward?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Edwin, Edwardo, Edwyn, Edwards, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

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.