Edmund

From the Old English Eadmund, combining elements meaning prosperity and protection. The name survived the Norman Conquest thanks to several early English kings and saints, persisting where most Anglo-Saxon names vanished. In the United States, it maintained a steady presence from 1880 onward as a dignified, lower-volume counterpart to Edward.

The name reads like heavy wool and fountain pen ink. It avoided the mass popularity of Edward, which kept it from ever feeling worn out by overuse. With an average bearer age of fifty-four, it belongs mostly to midcentury childhoods, though it registers to modern ears as studious rather than dated. It has the demeanor of someone who actually reads the footnotes.