Are you looking for a perfectly proper Edwardian style name? Perhaps you are a fan of Downton Abbey or Titanic, or are simply looking for a name that captures that elusive quality of class and comeliness discovered by British Edwardian parents? This handy guide of seven simple steps will take you through all the requirements for an authentic Edwardian baby name.
1. What was 'Hot'?
The first step to finding an authentic Edwardian name is to look at the most popular names of that era. Click the links to browse the Top 100 Names in England and Wales in 1904 and 1914.
The most popular names for boys included John, William, George, Thomas, Arthur, James, Frederick, Albert, Charles, Alfred, Ernest and Edward. Top of the girls names were Mary, Florence, Doris, Margaret, Edith, Dorothy, Alice, Elizabeth, Elsie, Winifred, Ethel and Gladys.
2. Rhyme, Alliteration & Assonance
A particularly interesting quirk of Edwardian parents is their love of rhyme, assonance and alliteration. First names, middle names and surnames were all used to gain this effect, and it didn't matter if that meant using a variant of the same name twice. Beatrice Bessie Battiscombe and Donald Ronald Sayer are two Edwardian babies who demonstrate this trend perfectly.
Below are a few samples of Edwardian alliterative and assonantal names:
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Alexander Alexis |
Adelaide Ada |
For an even further step, you could use the Edwardian trick of creating a completely alliterative set. See Alliterative Edwardian Siblings for some examples of this in use.
3. Flowers & Gems
One of the biggest trends of the Edwardian era is the use of nature names. It was around the 1880s that these names came into popular usage, and by the Edwardian period they were one of the most prevalent trends.in.names. Daisy, Holly, Iris, Ivy, Lily,lOlive, Primrose, Rose, Rosemary, Violet, Beryl, Pearl and Ruby were at the forefront of this fashion.
Here are some interesting plant and gem names used for Edwardian children:
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Acacia |
Daffodil |
Lavender |
Amethyst |
4. Celtic Revivals
The another big trend particularly prevalent in the Edwardian period was the use of Celtic names. Many “new” discoveries were made by Late Victorian parents from a rich choice of Scottish, Welsh and Irish names including Blodwen, Brenda, Ceridwen, Dilys, Eileen, Evan, Gwendoline, Gladys, Ioan, Ivor, Kathleen, Maureen, Owen, Sheila, Trevor. This was actually quite a cultural breakthrough as the Celtic languages had been suppressed by the English for centuries. Welsh children in the Victorian period, for example, were forbidden from speaking Welsh at school and punished harshly if they did.
Late Victorian Welsh parents, in particular, became very bold in their naming habits.They revived many long lost gems from Welsh mythology – such as Eleri, Eluned, Emrys, Olwen, Rhiannon, Caradoc, Hywel, Gareth, Gwenfyl, Gwenfron, Merlin/Merddyn – which went on to become big hits for Edwardian parents. The Edwardians themselves also created many new names from Welsh vocabulary,
Examples of Edwardian Welsh creations:
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Brynmor – "large hill" |
Briallen – "primrose" |
5. Commemorative & Patriotic
One of the quirkiest trends of Edwardian names is the use of commemorative names. The Edwardians were a patriotic bunch, and they loved to record events and honour notable British figures with their children's names. The Royal family were big namesakes, but so were contemporary politicians and public figures.
National as well as international events can be found commemorated in these names. The Diamond Jubilee in 1897 caused a peak of use in the names Victoria/Victor, Diamond and Jubilee for both boys and girls with many parents going all the way by naming their children Diamond Jubilee or Victoria Diamond Jubilee / Victor Diamond Jubilee.
Battles were also used. The Second Boer War in 1899 - 1902 throws up several ‘battle baby names’ including Bloemfontein, Colenso, Johannesburg, Ladysmith, Mafeking, Pretoria, Talana and Tugela. One baby, born in 1900, was called Magersfontein Paardeberg after two such battles, while a little girl, in the same year, was named Ladysmith Shamrock and Thistles.
Pretoria was the most popular of these (most likely due to its similarity to Victoria) and was used on many girls. Popular middle names include intriguing pairings such as Victory, Peace, Royal and Surrender.
Below are some of the more interesting ‘commemorative’ names used for both boys and girls as first and middle names:
Coronation – used in 1902 and later in 1911. Alexandra and Edward were popular middle names used.
European – This name was used from 1914-1915 after Britain formally declared war on Germany.
Livingstone – David Livingstone was a popular missionary and explorer.
Peace – There was a spike in this name in 1902 (the end of the Boer War) and again in 1918 (the end of WW1). Peaceful was also used. This commermorative name was also combined with the Coronation in 1902. We find several Peace Edwards and Peace Alexandras, as well as one Peace Coronation. One Peace Albert even had a twin brother named Coronation Edward.
Rhodesia – British colony established in 1889.
Transvaal – British colony established in 1889.
6. Social Aspiration 
What marks Edwardian names as distinct from previous generations is the lack of social divisions between names. In previous centuries, "fanciful" names were reserved for the aristocracy and you can clearly see this in the "upstairs" and "downstairs" names on census records. By the Edwardian era many previously rare names, and the use of two or three names, had permeated through all the social classes. For example, Constantia Beatrice Sophia, born 1905, was the daughter of a furniture mover and Lancelot Frederick Charles, born 1907, was a nurseryman’s son. Such examples show that in the Edwardian era these previously ‘upper class’ names were now being enjoyed throughout the social classes.
More than at any time before, the gap between the names of the upper classes and those of the lower was considerably contracted. The 1911 census shows that many wealthy household members shared the same names as the domestic servants who worked for them. One of the main reasons for this was the increased literacy of the nation: the Education Act of 1880 made school attendance compulsory for all children between the ages of 5 and 10. Knowledge was no longer held by the upper class, and one way for aspirational parents to demonstrate their education was to use names taken from classical texts and contemporary literature.
Far from being pretentious, grand and elegant names were considered to be a sign of social aspiration and culture.
7. Nicknames
By now you may have discovered a dignified name like Edward Emrys for your little Edwardian gentleman – but he's not quite perfect yet. For real authenticity, he should have the affectionate petforms of Ned or Teddy for home.
The Edwardians loved their classics and "stately" names – but they equally loved abbreviating them with familial nicknames. Most children at this time grew up with a nickname, even if they dropped it in later life. The stately Margaret will leave you spoiled for choice: Maggie, Meggie, Peggy, Maisie, Daisy, Molly...or go a bit continental and call her Greta.
There is a wealth of nicknames to choose from for any given name, or, feel free to be a bit creative, as the Edwardians did themselves. To get you started, here are some of the Edwardian nicknames in regular use, and the full names that they were used for:
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Albie (Albert |
Annie (Ann, Anna) |
Hopefully this guide has shown you that there is a lot more to Edwardian names than simply using stalwart classics like William and Florence -- lovely though they are. Whether you add a little bit of alliteration, choose a Celtic name, or use an elaborate or downright quirky name with a familial nickname, you will be reviving a small piece of Edwardiana.
