How Many People Are Named Ed?
An estimated 9,217 people in the United States have the first name Ed. It is predominantly male (99.4%). The average bearer is 68 years old, and Ed peaked in popularity in 1959 with 696 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Ed as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Ed paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Ed is overwhelmingly male, 165 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- With an average bearer age of 68, Ed is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1968.
Estimated Living Americans
9,217
About 1 in 37,187 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Rare
Predicted Gender
Male
99.4% confidence
Average Age
68
years old
Peak Year
1959
696 births
Total Registered
26,372
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Ed
Ed is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 26,372 total births registered, 99.4% were male.
Ed as a male name
Ranked #8,475 in 2024
9 male births in 2024
Peak: 1959 (696 births)
Ed as a female name
Ranked #4,029 in 1932
6 female births in 1932
Peak: 1918 (14 births)
Ed: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Ed span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1960s, when 3,780 babies were registered. Ed has declined significantly from its peak in the 1960s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Ed by Decade
How has Ed tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 2,957 | 2,957 | 0 | |
| 1890s | 2,356 | 2,346 | 10 | |
| 1900s | 1,814 | 1,814 | 0 | |
| 1910s | 2,752 | 2,705 | 47 | |
| 1920s | 2,757 | 2,668 | 89 | |
| 1930s | 2,579 | 2,560 | 19 | |
| 1940s | 3,042 | 3,042 | 0 | |
| 1950s | 2,952 | 2,952 | 0 | |
| 1960s | 3,780 | 3,780 | 0 | |
| 1970s | 608 | 608 | 0 | |
| 1980s | 314 | 314 | 0 | |
| 1990s | 204 | 204 | 0 | |
| 2000s | 156 | 156 | 0 | |
| 2010s | 79 | 79 | 0 | |
| 2020s | 22 | 22 | 0 | |
Ed by State
Birth registrations for Ed span all 42 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, Texas, Alabama. The lowest are in Maine, District of Columbia, South Dakota. On average, about 368 Eds were registered per state.
Ed + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Ed as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Ed
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
Ed: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ed?
We estimate approximately 9,217 people named Ed are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 37,187 Americans share this first name.
Is Ed a common name?
Ed is classified as "Rare" and is more popular than 97.6% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 26,372 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Ed most popular?
Ed reached peak popularity in 1959, when 696 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Ed is approximately 68 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Ed a male name?
Ed is predominantly male. 99.4% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Ed Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Ed Smith, Ed Johnson, Ed Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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