Thirty years of Edward
Edward in numbers
Edward peaked in 2015 with 2,593 boys and has fallen since, to 1,385 in 2025. Its biggest three-year fall came between 2017 and 2020, from 2,461 to 1,751. It ranked 45th in 1996, reached 23rd in 2016 and ranks 31st now. On average it was given to 1,671 boys a year in the late 1990s, 1,598 in the 2000s, 2,242 in the 2010s and 1,586 in the 2020s so far.
† Shapes, averages and turning points are Baby Data calculations from the ONS counts.
Milestones
First year in each bandChange
- On last year-5%1,461 to 1,385
- 5 years-21%1,751 to 1,385
- 10 years-47%2,593 to 1,385
- 20 years-11%1,552 to 1,385
- Since 1996-16%1,658 to 1,385
- Total, 1996 to 202554,597boys
† All changes and totals are Baby Data calculations from ONS counts. A total adds only the published years.
Across the three nations, 2025
Each from its own statistics office, never added togetherRank 31 · ONS · 1,461 in 2024
Rank 148 · NRS · 24 in 2024
Rank 159 · NISRA · 12 in 2024
England and Wales (ONS) count births in the calendar year; Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland (NISRA) count births registered in the year. Each comes from its own statistics office and they are never added together.
Year by year, 1996 to 2025 Show all 30 yearsHide the table
| Year | Rank | Babies | Change† | 1 in X† |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 31 | 1,385 | -5% | 1 in 217 |
| 2024 | 31 | 1,461 | -3% | 1 in 209 |
| 2023 | 30 | 1,501 | -7% | 1 in 202 |
| 2022 | 31 | 1,612 | -11% | 1 in 193 |
| 2021 | 29 | 1,806 | +3% | 1 in 177 |
| 2020 | 29 | 1,751 | -18% | 1 in 180 |
| 2019 | 24 | 2,125 | -3% | 1 in 155 |
| 2018 | 24 | 2,197 | -11% | 1 in 154 |
| 2017 | 23 | 2,461 | +1% | 1 in 141 |
| 2016 * | 23 | 2,429 | -6% | 1 in 147 |
| 2015 | 26 | 2,593 | +7% | 1 in 138 |
| 2014 | 31 | 2,417 | +6% | 1 in 148 |
| 2013 | 33 | 2,273 | +9% | 1 in 158 |
| 2012 | 36 | 2,088 | +8% | 1 in 179 |
| 2011 | 40 | 1,935 | +2% | 1 in 192 |
| 2010 | 43 | 1,903 | +6% | 1 in 195 |
| 2009 | 44 | 1,795 | -2% | 1 in 202 |
| 2008 | 42 | 1,825 | +3% | 1 in 199 |
| 2007 | 40 | 1,780 | +7% | 1 in 199 |
| 2006 | 42 | 1,659 | +7% | 1 in 206 |
| 2005 | 46 | 1,552 | -3% | 1 in 213 |
| 2004 | 43 | 1,604 | +14% | 1 in 205 |
| 2003 | 45 | 1,412 | +3% | 1 in 226 |
| 2002 | 46 | 1,376 | -5% | 1 in 222 |
| 2001 | 44 | 1,451 | -5% | 1 in 210 |
| 2000 | 45 | 1,523 | -5% | 1 in 203 |
| 1999 | 43 | 1,605 | -6% | 1 in 199 |
| 1998 | 44 | 1,709 | -0% | 1 in 191 |
| 1997 | 44 | 1,711 | +3% | 1 in 193 |
| 1996 | 45 | 1,658 | 1 in 201 |
* ONS’s boys’ 2016 file repeats the October total as September, so the 2016 births total is about 932 too low and 1 in X for 2016 is slightly too low. Rank follows ONS: names with the same count share a rank (shown with =). “Under 3” means the name was given to fewer than 3 babies that year, so ONS did not publish it.
Compare Edward
Draws the second name on the chart above, on a shared scale.
Share and download
Edward is in the free dataset (CSV and JSON), with the method and how to cite it.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0; National Records of Scotland; NISRA. Exact spellings are counted separately and names given to fewer than 3 babies are not published. Figures marked † are Baby Data calculations. How we calculate
Edward is in our lists: Vintage baby names, Royal baby names.