Gender Masculine
Pronounced Pron. EHD-gər(English) EHD-GAR(French)  [key·IPA]

Meaning & History

Derived from the Old English elements ead "wealth, fortune" and gar "spear". This was the name of a 10th-century English king, Edgar the Peaceful. The name did not survive long after the Norman Conquest, but it was revived in the 18th century, in part due to a character by this name in Walter Scott's novel The Bride of Lammermoor (1819), which tells of the tragic love between Edgar Ravenswood and Lucy Ashton [1]. Famous bearers include author and poet Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849), French impressionist painter Edgar Degas (1834-1917), and author Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950).

Related Names

VariantEdgard(French)
DiminutivesEd, Eddie, Eddy(English)
Other Languages & CulturesEadgar(Anglo-Saxon) Ogier(Carolingian Cycle) Audagar, Autchar, Otgar(Germanic) Edgardo(Italian) Edgars, Edijs(Latvian) Edgaras(Lithuanian) Édgar, Edgardo(Spanish)
Surname DescendantsAdair, Edgar(English)
Same SpellingÉdgar
User SubmissionEdgár

Popularity

People think this name is

classic   mature   formal   upper class   wholesome   strong   refined   strange   simple   serious  

Name Days

Austria: July 8
Austria: September 9
Estonia: November 29
France: July 8
Norway: November 16
Poland: June 10
Poland: July 8
Sweden: October 31

Images

Portrait of Edgar Allan PoePortrait of Edgar Allan Poe

Categories

Sources & References

  1. Withycombe, Elizabeth Gidley. The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names. Oxford, 1945, page 41.
Entry updated January 21, 2022