A male name. (Latin Edwardus, French Édouard, German Eduard, Italian Eduardo, Port Duarte); Old English Eadweard, compound of ead ‘rich’, ‘happy', and weard ‘ward’, ‘guardian’. It was the name of one of the greatest of the West Saxon kings of England, Edward the Elder, s. of Alfred the Great, who reigned from 901 to 924; of a saint and martyr, the s. of Edgar, who reigned from 975 to 978; and of Edward the Confessor, the last English king of the line of Alfred. These associations were sufficient to ensure the popularity of the name in the Old English period and its survival after the Norman Conquest. It occurs in Domesday Book and is found in 12th-C records. But the reason why Edward, unlike most Old English names, continued in general use after the end of the 12th C was undoubtedly the fact that Henry III’s devotion to SS Edmund and Edward led him to give their names to two of his ss. From the accession of Edward I in 1272 there was an Edward on the throne of England for over a century (until 1377). From that time it has been in regular use as a christian name and has shown very little fluctuation of fashion. It is one of the very few names of English origin which have been generally adopted on the Continent. The surnames Edward, Edwards, Edwardes were formed from it, but Edwardson is surprisingly rare. The nicknames Ned and Ted have been used since the 14th C; Eddie is modern.

Eaduuard, Æduuard, Eduuard, Eduard Domesday Book 1086. Edwardus Curia Regis Rolls 1187-1219.

In A. -S., Eadvard or Eadward (‘rich ward’ or ‘guard’). Charlotte Yonge hymns it as ‘the most really noted of all our own genuine appellations... It comes to light in our royal line with the son of Alfred, and won the popular love for the sake of the young king whom St. Dunstan and the English called the martyr.’ Edward the Confessor, feeble as a ruler, became a patron saint of England; ‘in the ardour of embellishing his foundation of Westminster Abbey, it was natural to give his name to the heir of the crown, afterwards “the greatest of the Plantagenets”. The deaths of his three children bearing Norman or Spanish names confirmed this as the royal name, and the third king so called spread it far and wide.’ But never has it been more effectively and unobtrusively borne than in the present century.

From the Anglo Saxon ead-weard, guardian of happiness. Hence as nicknames Ned, Neddy, Ted, Teddy.

Teutonic (masculine) - Guardian of happiness.

A Teutonic name, meaning: Rich guardian: guardian of prop­erty. (Anglo-saxon) Guardian.

A Gaelic name: 'Eideard ('Eudard, Dial.), Imhear, Iomhar; the first is the English Edward borrowed, the second is the Norse Ivarr borrowed (see Mac-iver). Hence M‘'Eideard, M'Edward.