Edvard
A masculine Scandinavian name derived from Old Norse meaning "wealthy guardian".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Edvard. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Edvard today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Edvard births was 1996 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Edvard. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Edvard with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Edvard. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1996
5 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2017 SSA rank
#12,819
Tracked since 1996
Census
Edvard in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 396 people with the first name Edvard, which placed it at #24,370 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
#24,370
National first-name rank
People counted
396
396 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
79.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Edvard
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Edvard is White at 79.8%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Edvard 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 Edvard at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.8% · 316
- Black or African American15.4% · 61
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 13
- Two or more races0.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Popularity
Edvard: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Edvard from the 1990s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 5 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
Edvard 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 Edvard 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 Edvard
The given name Edvard has its origins in the Old Norse language, dating back to the Viking Age and medieval Scandinavia. It is derived from the Old Norse elements "ead" meaning wealth or fortune, and "vard" meaning guard or guardian. The name can be interpreted as "wealthy guardian" or "prosperous protector".
In its earliest forms, the name was spelled as "Audvardr" or "Auðvarðr" in Old Norse. As the language evolved, the spelling transitioned to "Edvard" in modern Scandinavian languages like Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish. Similar spellings like "Eduard" and "Edward" emerged in other European languages, reflecting the widespread influence of the name.
The name Edvard has deep roots in Norse mythology, where it was associated with gods and heroes revered for their strength and valor. It was a popular choice among Viking warriors and nobility, symbolizing the ideals of prosperity, protection, and leadership. Ancient runic inscriptions and sagas from the era mention individuals bearing this name.
Throughout history, several notable figures have carried the name Edvard. One of the earliest recorded examples is Edvard the Confessor (c. 1003-1066), the King of England from 1042 until his death. His reign was marked by religious devotion and the construction of Westminster Abbey.
Another prominent figure was Edvard Munch (1863-1944), the renowned Norwegian artist known for his iconic painting "The Scream." Munch's work profoundly influenced the Expressionist movement and explored themes of existential angst and human emotion.
In the realm of literature, Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) was a celebrated Norwegian composer and pianist. His compositions, such as the Peer Gynt Suite and the Piano Concerto in A minor, drew inspiration from Norwegian folk music and nature, shaping the country's musical identity.
Edvard Beneš (1884-1948) was a prominent Czech statesman who served as the second President of Czechoslovakia. He played a crucial role in the formation of the independent Czechoslovak state after World War I and navigated the country through challenging times during World War II.
Lastly, Edvard Kardelj (1910-1979) was a Yugoslav communist revolutionary and one of the closest associates of Josip Broz Tito. He played a significant role in the liberation of Yugoslavia during World War II and the establishment of the post-war socialist system.
People
Edvard + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Edvard 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
Edvard: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Edvard?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Edvard 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Edvard a common name?
We classify Edvard as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Edvard most popular?
The single biggest year for Edvard was 1996, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Edvard is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Edvard in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 396 people with the name Edvard, or 0.13 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #24,370 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 Edvard 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 Edvard?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Edvard leans strongly male. 399 people counted with this name were male (98.8%), compared with 5 female bearers (1.2%). 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 Edvard?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Edvard is White at 79.8%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Edvard most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Edvard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.8% (316 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 Edvard in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Edvard a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Edvard 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 Edvard still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Edvard 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 Edvard 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 people have Edvard as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.