Baby Name of the Day: Ned

The baby name Ned is a sweetly vintage nickname name that might wear well today.

Thanks to Clio for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.

WHAT DOES THE NAME NED MEAN?

The baby name Ned is a nickname, traditionally associated with Edward.

Edward comes form the Old English ead “fortune” combined with weard “guard.” So it means “wealthy guardian.” Plenty of English kings have answered to the name. 

The first was Saint Edward the Confessor, who reigned immediately prior to the Norman Conquest in 1066. The most recent was King Edward VIII, best remembered for abdicating after less than a year to marry Wallis Simpson.

While many Old English names went extinct, Edward had legs. Forms of the name have been heard across Europe, and many remain in use today, like the Spanish Eduardo and Italian Edoardo.

Plenty of other Ed names, like Edgar, Edmund, and Edwin, are still heard, too. Though some, like Edric, have fallen out of use.

So the meaning of Ned is shared with the meaning of Edward.

MINE ED

But there’s a little twist to the baby name Ned.

If you hadn’t noticed, there’s no N in Edward.

Nicknames like Ed, Eddie, or Eddy follow more logically from the name Edward.

Instead, Ned owes its origin to the medieval phrase “Mine Ed.”

It’s affectionate. And it’s shared with Nan – “mine Ann” and Nell – “mine El,” for Ellen or Eleanor.

So just like we traditionally associate Bill with William and Peggy with Margaret, Ned has long been linked to Edward, as well as other Ed names.

NED IN POPULAR CULTURE

Classic baby name Edward ranked in the US Top Ten from the 1890s into the 1920s. It remained in the US Top 100 into the mid-1990s.

That’s a lot of Edwards, without counting other Ed names. And some of them have always been Ned.

Just a few include:

• In the Nancy Drew universe, the girl detective’s boyfriend is Ned Nickerson. He’s sometimes given a longer name, but not always. A few reincarnations even call him Ned “Nick” Nickerson.
• Long-running soap opera General Hospital gave the name to a member of its powerful Quartermaine family.
• Dr Seuss used it for at least one of his characters, too.
• Australian outlaw/folk hero Ned Kelly features in folk ballads and films. Mick Jagger played him in 1970. Most recently, the late Heath Ledger starred in Ned Kelly in 2003.
• Baseball pioneer Ned Hanlon is nicknamed “the father of modern baseball.”
• Actor Ned Beatty’s long career spanned the 1970s into the 2010s. (Among many other roles, he’s the voice of villainous bear Lotso in Toy Story 3.)
• The Simpsons gave us squeaky clean neighbor Ned Flanders. Fun fact: his full name is Nedward. And he’s a junior. 

And then there’s Game of Thrones.

NED STARK

When it comes to popular culture now, there’s an obvious frontrunner in the famous Ned category.

Eclipsing even The Simpsons, it has to be the ill-fated Game of Thrones character Eddard Stark.

While George R.R. Martin invented plenty of wild and wonderful names for his books, he also borrowed some more familiar choices. When the series begins, Westeros is ruled by King Robert. At his side? His close friend Eddard Stark, almost always known as Ned.

Ned is admired for his strength and kindness. He’s a good father to his kids – all of whom feature in the eight seasons’ worth of storylines. And he’s honest, loyal, and principled, qualities which are in short supply among the rulers of Westeros.

But then it wouldn’t be much of a story if everyone were as good as Ned. 

Actor Sean Bean played the role.

HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME NED?

This is actually a hard question to answer.

Popular names data reflects legal, formal names. While plenty of nicknames and diminutives, like Liam, Theo, and Jack, have become stand-alone favorites, others are hidden in the numbers.

As of 2023, the baby name Edward ranked #213 in the US. The US Social Security Administration (SSA) lists Ned as a Top 1000 name from 1880 into the 1970s.

Since then, Ned remains in use as an independent name, but only in small numbers. 15 boys were named Ned in 2023. 

The last time it lifted in use, briefly, was 2004/2005, with 27 boys receiving the name in 2005. That probably tracks with the Heath Ledger movie.  

A SUCCESSOR FOR MAX AND GUS

On paper, classic Edward remains out of favor. And Ned is still stuck in style limbo.

But there’s always interest in a certain kind of old school boy’s name. Think Max and Gus. They’re brief and brisk, like Knox, Finn, and Jude. But they also sound borrowed from a particular moment in history. You can picture their names embroidered on coveralls. Jack has some of that energy. So do similar names Hank and Ray. 

While this isn’t the right moment for the baby name Ned, it might be just around the corner. As parents decide that Theodore and Henry are over-used, it might be time for names like Edward to shine. And Ned could come along for that trend nicely. 

If you’re looking for a brief, throwback choice that nods to heroes and still sounds down-to-earth, Ned could be the perfect baby name to consider. 

What do you think of the baby name Ned?