Find out how popular the first name Eddie has been for the last 50 years (from 1974 to 2023) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Popularity of Eddie by gender

Based on the last 50 years of data, Eddie is more commonly used as a male name, with approximately 99% of people named Eddie being male.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 278 male babies and 11 female babies born with the name Eddie.

Yes—according to the SSA data, 11 baby girls were named Eddie in 2023, despite it being a predominantly male name. We'd love to know why!

The history of the first name Eddie

The name Eddie is a diminutive form of the name Edward, which originated from the Old English words "ead" meaning "prosperous" or "rich" and "weard" meaning "guard" or "protector." The name was first recorded in England during the Anglo-Saxon period, around the 9th century AD.

Eddie is primarily an English name, but it has also been used in other cultures and languages. In some Germanic languages, such as German and Dutch, the name is spelled as "Eddy" or "Ede." In French, it is sometimes written as "Edouard" or "Édouard."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Edward can be found in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, which mentions King Edward the Elder (c. 870-924), who ruled over the Kingdom of Wessex and the Anglo-Saxon territories in England from 899 to 924. Another notable historical figure with the name Edward was Edward the Confessor (c. 1003-1066), the last Anglo-Saxon King of England before the Norman Conquest in 1066.

Throughout history, many notable individuals have borne the name Eddie or its variations. One of the earliest examples is Eddie the Atheling (c. 1016-1057), the son of King Edmund Ironside and a claimant to the English throne during the Norman Conquest. Another historical figure was Eddie Rickenbacker (1890-1973), an American fighter pilot and Medal of Honor recipient during World War I, who later became a successful businessman and race car driver.

Other famous individuals with the name Eddie include Eddie Murphy (born 1961), an American actor and comedian known for his roles in films such as "Beverly Hills Cop" and "The Nutty Professor;" Eddie Van Halen (1955-2020), a Dutch-American guitarist and co-founder of the rock band Van Halen; and Eddie Vedder (born 1964), an American singer and songwriter who is the lead vocalist of the rock band Pearl Jam.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Eddie was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Eddie, please contact us.

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