Edgar

Meaning

Edgar comes from the Old English name Eadgar, built from ead meaning “wealth,” “fortune,” or “happiness,” and gar meaning “spear.” In 19th-century name books, it is often glossed as “rich spear,” “happy spear,” or “author of happiness,” reflecting the same old Germanic elements. It was an old English royal name that later revived in use.

Origin

Fun fact

19th-century writers note that Edgar fell out of use after the Anglo-Saxon monarchy and came back into fashion later, helped along by literary and operatic uses of the name.