Edder
A modernized variant of the name Edgar meaning "wealthy spear guardian."
Name Census estimates that about 352 living Americans carry the first name Edder. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Edder today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Edder births was 1993 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Edder. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
352
~ 1 in 973,734 Americans
Peak year
1993
19 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,785
Tracked since 1983
Census
Edder in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 456 people with the first name Edder, which placed it at #22,008 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#22,008
National first-name rank
People counted
456
456 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
94.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Edder
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Edder is Hispanic at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Black (2.4%) and White (1.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Edder described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Edder at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.7% · 432
- Black or African American2.4% · 11
- White1.8% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 3
- Two or more races0.4% · 2
Popularity
Edder: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Edder from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 115 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Edder by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Edder during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Edders live
Origin
Meaning and history of Edder
The name Edder is believed to have originated from the Old Norse language, which was spoken by the Germanic peoples of Scandinavia and their descendants during the Viking Age, between the 8th and 11th centuries. It is thought to be derived from the Old Norse word "öddr," which means "point" or "spear."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Edder can be found in the Icelandic Sagas, a collection of medieval literature that preserves the stories and histories of the Norse people. In the Saga of Grettir the Strong, written in the 13th century, there is a character named Edder who is described as a skilled warrior and adventurer.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Edder was primarily used in Scandinavian countries, such as Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. During this time, it was often associated with warriors and soldiers, as the name's connection to the word "spear" likely held cultural significance.
One notable historical figure with the name Edder was Edder Tordsson, a Norwegian chieftain who lived in the 11th century. He was known for his strong leadership and military prowess, and is mentioned in several Icelandic Sagas as a prominent figure in the conflicts and power struggles of his time.
Another individual with the name Edder was Edder Skjaldarbrandsson, an Icelandic skald (poet) who lived in the 12th century. He was renowned for his skill in composing intricate and elaborate poetry, and his works were widely admired and preserved by his contemporaries.
In the 13th century, there was a Swedish nobleman named Edder Folkungarson, who was a member of the influential Folkunga dynasty. He played a significant role in the political and military affairs of his time and was known for his strategic acumen.
As the name Edder spread beyond its Scandinavian roots, it also gained popularity in other parts of Europe. In the 16th century, there was a German soldier named Edder von Kielmansegg, who served in the armies of various princes and kings during the religious conflicts of the Reformation.
While the name Edder has largely fallen out of common use in modern times, it remains a part of Scandinavian cultural heritage and serves as a reminder of the rich history and traditions of the Norse people.
People
Edder + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Edder as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Edder: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Edder?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 352 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Edder going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 973,734 US residents.
Is Edder a common name?
We classify Edder as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 358 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Edder most popular?
The single biggest year for Edder was 1993, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Edder is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Edder in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 456 people with the name Edder, or 0.15 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #22,008 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Edder in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Edder?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Edder leans strongly male. 451 people counted with this name were male (98.5%), compared with 7 female bearers (1.5%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Edder?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Edder is Hispanic at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Black (2.4%) and White (1.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Edder most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Edder in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (432 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Edder in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Edder a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Edder in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Edder still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Edder in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Edder can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many Americans are named Edder?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.