First off, sorry I didn’t write yesterday, all. I had a pressing Art History paper to write (a comparative analysis of Renoir’s Large Bathers and Giorgione’s Sleeping Venus, if anyone is at all interested) and had some internet trouble earlier today. I’m back now, so prepare for my usual long-windedness!

So, today’s post is on Ed- names. This isn’t to say I like Ed. In fact, I find it a completely unappealing nickname, but I like the names that begin with it. The Ed element derives from Old English ead, meaning rich or blessed, which is certainly nice, huh?

So, first up is Edward, which is probably my favorite at this time, having usurped Edmund a while ago. It’s my little brother’s middle (Christopher Edward), so it works nicely to honor the scamp. We’re quite close, so I would gladly name a kid for him in a heartbeat. I like Edward’s rounded sound and balanced appearance. Of course, having said I hate Ed, Ned would be the nickname of choice, because I hate Ted even more. Ward is also a viable option with this one, although it’s a little Leave it to Beaver. But hey, I could name another kid Richard and go full retro with Ricky or Richie! Not really, although I do love Ricky. It’s what my boyfriend’s uncle calls his (boyfriend’s) dad. Probably I’d use the name in full, though; shouldn’t be too hard in this time of Jameses and Thomases. All in all, Edward is adorably stodgy and entirely likable, except for those idiotic vampire books. It’s such a classic that it shouldn’t matter, though.

Edmund is up next. Now, I know that this is someone in Narnia or somesuch; I’m telling you right now, I don’t care. Never read the books, have no real desire to. Edmund was my favorite Ed name for a stint a few months back before Edward commandeered the spot. I thought that this would give me a less popular Ed name, but I now realize that Edmund is too stodgy to use in full, and so I’d end up using Ned anyway. While Ned is unusual in it’s own right, I could achieve the same effect with Edward. As I said when discussing Rosamund, the -mund element is really hard for me, so I sort of gave up on it. What do you think?

Now we come to Edgar, the third in my trinity of Ed names. He’s unusual but heard of, but I eventually gave up because it always sounds like I’m naming a middle aged Hispanic man or Victorian lecher. I don’t know why, but those are my associations. I could probably forgive them if I had a really good combo though, nudge nudge. I don’t know, I don’t think I like Edgar enough to actually use it. Edward and Edmund excite me much more nowadays.

The other two English Eds, Edwin and Edison, don’t do anything for me. Edwin sounds like a goober and Edison is a surname.

So yes, the Eds. Edward is firmly in front right now; I might eventually come up with some combos for him, but it’s not too pressing.  I love that he honors my little brother, has a Sense and Sensibility namesake (yes I am re-reading, why do you ask?), and is classic. I also love that it pairs well with surnames in the second middle slot; I have a few I’d like to use. What’s your favorite Ed name?

And a postscript: I noticed that a few of you really liked my post on what I perceive as blue names, so I’m thinking about making it a weekly type of thing, with a different color each week. Let me know what you think, you are the ones who read this blog, after all!