Edward is an English

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...

. It is derived from the

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...

name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”.

History

The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Saxon England, but the rule of the

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

and Plantagenet dynasties had effectively ended its use amongst the upper classes. The popularity of the name was revived when Henry III named his firstborn son, the future

Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal o ...

, as part of his efforts to promote a cult around

Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor ; la, Eduardus Confessor , ; ( 1003 – 5 January 1066) was one of the last Anglo-Saxon English kings. Usually considered the last king of the House of Wessex, he ruled from 1042 to 1066. Edward was the son of Æth ...

, for whom Henry had a deep admiration.

Variant forms

The name has been adopted in the Iberian peninsula since the 15th century, due to

Edward, King of Portugal Edward ( pt, Duarte (; 31 October 1391 – 9 September 1438), also called Edward the King Philosopher (''Duarte o Rei-Filósofo'') or the Eloquent (''o Eloquente''), was the King of Portugal from 1433 until his death. He was born in Viseu, the son ...

, whose mother was English. The Spanish/Portuguese forms of the name are Eduardo and

Duarte Duarte may refer to: * Duarte (surname), person's surname (or composed surname) and given name * Duarte, California, United States * Duarte Province, Dominican Republic * Pico Duarte Pico Duarte is the highest peak in the Dominican Republic, on th ...

. Other variant forms include French Édouard, Italian

Edoardo Edoardo is the Italian form of the English male given name Edward. Notable people named Edoardo include: * Edoardo Agnelli (industrialist) (1892–1935), Italian industrialist * Edoardo Alfieri (1913–1998), Italian sculptor * Edoardo Amaldi (1908 ...

and

Odoardo Odoardo is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Odoardo Barri (1844–1920), the pseudonym of Edward Slater *Odoardo Beccari (1843–1920), Italian naturalist, discovered the titan arum in Sumatra in 1878 *Odoardo Borrani (1833–19 ...

, German, Dutch, Czech and Romanian Eduard and Scandinavian Edvard. Short forms include Ed, Eddy, Eddie, Ted, Teddy and Ned.

People called Edward

Medieval

* Edward the Elder (c. 874–924), the son of Alfred the Great * Edward the Martyr (c. 962–978), English king and Christian martyr *

(c. 1003–1066), English King; patron saint of England until 1348 * Edward I of England (1239–1307), called Longshanks; conqueror of Wales *

Edward Balliol Edward Balliol (; 1283 – January 1364) was a claimant to the Scottish throne during the Second War of Scottish Independence. With English help, he ruled parts of the kingdom from 1332 to 1356. Early life Edward was the eldest son of John Ba ...

(c. 1283–1367), pretender to the Scottish throne during the reign of David II * Edward II of England (1284–1327), deposed in January 1327, probably murdered * Edward III of England (1312–1377), English king * Edward, the Black Prince (1330–1376), eldest son of King Edward III *

Edward, Duke of Guelders Edward (12 March 1336 – 24 August 1371) was the duke of Guelders and count of Zutphen from 1361 until 1371. He was the youngest son of Duke Reginald II of Guelders and his second wife, Eleanor of Woodstock, daughter of King Edward II of England. ...

(1336–1371) *

Edward IV of England Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...

(1442–1483), older brother of Richard III, father of Edward V * Edward V of England (1470–c. 1483), one of the princes in the Tower

Modern

Royalty and nobility

* Edward VI of England (1537–1553), the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour *

Edward, Count Palatine of Simmern Edward, Prince Palatine of the Rhine (''Eduard, Prinz von der Pfalz'') (5 October 1625 – 10 March 1663), was the sixth son of Frederick V, Elector Palatine (of the House of Wittelsbach), the "Winter King" of Bohemia, by his consort, the Scot ...

(1625–1663), Count Palatine * Prince Edward, Duke of York and Albany (1739–1767), brother of George III * Lord Edward FitzGerald (1763–1798), Irish aristocrat and revolutionary *

Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, (Edward Augustus; 2 November 1767 – 23 January 1820) was the fourth son and fifth child of King George III. His only legitimate child became Queen Victoria. Prince Edward was created Duke of Kent an ...

(1767–1820), the son of George III, father of Queen Victoria *

Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar Prince William Augustus Edward of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, , PC(Ire) (11 October 1823 – 16 November 1902) was a British military officer of German parents. After a career in the Grenadier Guards, he became Major General commanding the Brigade o ...

(1823–1902), son of Prince Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach * Princess Edward of Saxe-Weimar (1827–1904), wife of Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar *

Edward VII of the United Kingdom Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...

(1841–1910), the son of Queen Victoria *

Lord Edward Cecil Lord Edward Herbert Gascoyne-Cecil (12 July 1867 – 13 December 1918), known as Lord Edward Cecil, was a distinguished and highly decorated English soldier. As colonial administrator in Egypt and advisor to the Liberal government, he helped t ...

(1867–1918), son of the 3rd Marquess of Salisbury * Edward VIII of the United Kingdom (1894–1972), the son of George V, abdicated * Prince Edward, Duke of Kent (born 1935), grandson of George V * Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Forfar (born 1964), the son of Queen Elizabeth II *

Lady Edward Manners Gabrielle Elizabeth Frances Ross, known upon her marriage as Lady Edward Manners, (born 1975) is a British businesswoman, fashion designer, and aristocrat. She is the second wife of Lord Edward Manners, a younger son of Charles Manners, 10th Duke ...

(born 1975), wife of Lord Edward Manners and daughter-in-law of the 10th Duke of Rutland *

Edward Windsor, Lord Downpatrick Edward Edmund Maximilian George Windsor, Lord Downpatrick (born 2 December 1988), known professionally as Eddy Downpatrick, is an English fashion designer and former financial analyst. He is the co-founder and creative director of the British fa ...

(born 1988), the grandson of The Duke of Kent

Politicians

* Edward Dickinson Baker (1811-1861) was an American politician, lawyer, and military leader, close friend of Abraham Lincoln *

Edward Dembowski Edward Dembowski (25 April or 31 May 1822 – 27 February 1846) was a Polish philosopher, literary critic, journalist, and leftist independence activist."Dembowski, Edward," ''Encyklopedia Polski'' (Encyclopedia of Poland), p. 128. Life Edward De ...

(1822–1846), Polish leftist, philosopher and columnist * Edward Gierek (1913–2001), First Secretary of Polish United Workers Party from 1970 to 1980 * Edward Heath (1916–2005), former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom *

Edward Jayetileke