Edelweiss
A German name meaning "noble white", referring to the alpine flower.
Name Census estimates that about 79 living Americans carry the first name Edelweiss. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Edelweiss today is around 6 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Edelweiss births was 2021 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Edelweiss. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Edelweiss. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
79
~ 1 in 4,338,663 Americans
Peak year
2021
11 babies that year
Average age
6
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,470
Tracked since 2015
Popularity
Edelweiss: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Edelweiss from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 42 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Edelweiss 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 Edelweiss during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Edelweiss
The name Edelweiss is a German word that literally translates to "noble white" or "white and noble." It is a compound word derived from the German words "edel" meaning noble, and "weiss" meaning white. The name is believed to have originated in the Alpine regions of Europe, specifically in the German, Austrian, and Swiss Alps.
The name Edelweiss is most commonly associated with the small white flower that grows in the high Alpine meadows and rocky areas. This flower, officially known as the Leontopodium alpinum, has been a symbol of purity, nobility, and bravery in Alpine folklore for centuries. It was considered a rare and precious find due to the treacherous terrain it grew in, and only the bravest and most skilled mountaineers could retrieve it.
In literature, the name Edelweiss gained prominence in the 19th century through its association with the famous musical play "The Sound of Music." The song "Edelweiss" became an iconic part of the musical, representing the beauty and resilience of the Austrian people during World War II. The name and the flower have since become symbols of Austrian culture and heritage.
While the name Edelweiss is not directly mentioned in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it has been used as a given name throughout history, particularly in German-speaking regions. Some notable historical figures with the name Edelweiss include:
1. Edelweiss von Britzke (1861-1938), a German painter and illustrator known for her depictions of Alpine landscapes and flowers.
2. Edelweiss Küchen (1891-1961), an Austrian mountaineer and one of the first women to climb several challenging peaks in the Alps.
3. Edelweiss Gyr (1902-1987), a Swiss opera singer and actress who performed in various operas throughout Europe.
4. Edelweiss Baumann (1909-1992), a German-born American writer and poet who wrote extensively about her experiences as a World War II refugee.
5. Edelweiss Steiner (1924-2018), an Austrian alpine skier and Olympic gold medalist in the downhill event at the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo.
While the name Edelweiss is not as common as it once was, it remains a popular choice in certain regions, particularly in the Alpine countries, where it is celebrated as a symbol of resilience, purity, and the beauty of nature.
People
Edelweiss + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Edelweiss 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
Edelweiss: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Edelweiss?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 79 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Edelweiss 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 4,338,663 US residents.
Is Edelweiss a common name?
We classify Edelweiss as "Very Rare". It ranks above 61.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 79 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Edelweiss most popular?
The single biggest year for Edelweiss was 2021, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Edelweiss is about 6 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Edelweiss a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Edelweiss in the SSA data are female. 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.
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.