The first name Edgar
A boy’s name from English meaning “rich”, “spear”.
Pronounced /ˈɛdɡɚ/ 2 syllables Male Also a surname
Meaning and origin
English origin
Edgar means “rich”, “spear” in English.
From Old English Ēadgār, the name of early English kings, from Old English ēad (“rich”) + gār (“spear”). Compare Icelandic Auðgeir. Hairstyle named after Major League Baseball player Edgar Martínez.
More names that mean rich, sword.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 22 boys were named Edgar, making it the 1,276th most popular boys’ name. It peaked in 2018, with 50 births (#690).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Edgar with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Edgar at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 617 boys born in the United States were named Edgar, the 486th most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 2005, when 2,454 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Edgar in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Edgar in Dutch, Estonian, French, German, Icelandic, Norwegian, Polish and Swedish too.
Nicknames and spellings
Other spellings and forms
- Eagar
Famous people named Edgar
156 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Edgar Allan PoeAmerican writer and literary critic (1809–1849)
- Edgar DegasFrench Impressionist artist (1834–1917)
- Edgar de WahlEstonian teacher and linguist (1867–1948)
- Edgar Rice BurroughsAmerican writer (1875–1950)
- J. Edgar HooverAmerican law enforcement administrator (1895–1972)
- Edgar Douglas AdrianEnglish electrophysiologist (1889-1977)
- Edgar WallaceBritish crime writer, journalist and playwright (1875–1932)
- Edgar DavidsDutch association football player and manager, born 1973
- Edgar MitchellAmerican astronaut (1930-2016)
- Edgar ÆthelingDisputed King of England, died 1125
- Edgar F. CoddEnglish computer scientist (1923–2003)
- Edgard VarèseFrench composer (1883-1965)
More English boys’ names
Questions
- What does the name Edgar mean?
- Edgar means “rich”, “spear” in English.
- What is the origin of the name Edgar?
- From Old English Ēadgār, the name of early English kings, from Old English ēad (“rich”) + gār (“spear”). Compare Icelandic Auðgeir. Hairstyle named after Major League Baseball player Edgar Martínez.
- How popular is the name Edgar?
- In 2025, 22 boys born in England and Wales were named Edgar, ranking 1,276th. Its peak was 2018, with 50 births.
- Is Edgar a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 100% of the 157,919 US babies named Edgar since 1880 were boys.
- When was Edgar most popular?
- 2005 in the United States, when 2,454 babies were named Edgar, its highest rank at 168th.
- How do you pronounce Edgar?
- Edgar is /ˈɛdɡɚ/, 2 syllables.
- What are other spellings of Edgar?
- Eagar.
- Is Edgar also a surname?
- Yes. Edgar is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.