UK boy's name
Edmund
A masculine name of Germanic origin meaning "rich protector".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Edmund is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Edmund popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #857, with 37 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1997, with 66 births.
This profile covers 1,309 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 56% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 1,345 living people in the UK are called Edmund. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Edmund ranked #857 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 37 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1997, when 66 boys were registered as Edmund.
- • Edmund ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #341 in 2006.
- • About 1,345 living people in the UK are estimated to have Edmund as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#857
2024
Births in 2024
37
Latest year
Peak year
1997
66 births
Estimated living
1,345
2026
Meaning
What does Edmund mean?
The name Edmund has its origins in the Anglo-Saxon era, derived from the Old English words "ead" meaning prosperity or fortune, and "mund" meaning protection. It was a popular name among the Anglo-Saxons and was borne by several English kings and nobles.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name is Edmund the Martyr, an East Anglian king who reigned from 855 to 869 AD. He was killed by Danish invaders and later became venerated as a saint in the Christian church.
Another notable figure with the name was Edmund Ironside, who was King of England from 1016 to 1017 AD. He fought against the Danish invasion led by Canute the Great, but was eventually forced to divide the kingdom with him.
In the 13th century, Edmund Rich, also known as St. Edmund of Abingdon, was a prominent figure in the Catholic Church. He served as the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1234 to 1240 and was canonized in 1246.
The name gained further prominence with Edmund Spenser, the English poet and author of the epic poem "The Faerie Queene". He lived from around 1552 to 1599 and is considered one of the greatest poets of the English Renaissance.
In more recent history, Edmund Halley, the English astronomer, mathematician, and physicist, is renowned for his work on the orbit of the comet that bears his name, Halley's Comet. He lived from 1656 to 1742 and made significant contributions to the scientific understanding of the universe.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Edmund, reflecting its enduring popularity and significance across various cultures and time periods.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Edmund over time
The chart below shows babies named Edmund registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Edmund, the clearest high point is 1997. The latest England and Wales figure is 37 births in 2024, compared with 66 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Edmund by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Edmund was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #751 | 222 | 5 |
| 2010s | #713 | 474 | 10 |
| 2000s | #652 | 381 | 10 |
| 1990s | #392 | 232 | 4 |
Geography
Where Edmund is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Edmund. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Edmund ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #341 in 2006.
Across the UK
Edmund in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#619 in 2024
12 years of NRS records, 44 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#341 in 2006
1 years of NISRA records, 3 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Edmund
-
Edmund Hartley
cunning folk
English cunning man; alleged witch (d. 1597)
Related
Names similar to Edmund
- Ethan 77,394
- Edward 53,212
- Elliot 23,450
- Elijah 22,369
- Ellis 19,358
- Elliott 16,964
- Evan 14,535
- Ezra 11,838
- Ewan 10,685
- Eli 8,126
- Elias 7,049
- Eric 6,654
FAQ
Edmund: questions and answers
How popular is the name Edmund in the UK right now?
In 2024, Edmund was ranked #857 for boys in England and Wales, with 37 births registered.
When was Edmund most popular?
The peak year on record was 1997, with 66 babies registered as Edmund in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Edmund?
A masculine name of Germanic origin meaning "rich protector".
How many people are called Edmund in the UK?
A total of 1,309 babies have been registered as Edmund across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 44 more in Scotland and 3 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Edmund most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Edmund ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #341 in 2006. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.