Eden: meaning and UK use

What does Eden mean?

Eden is a biblical place name. The reference offers a Hebrew connection with pleasure or delight and an alternative Sumerian derivation meaning plain.

Language or name family covered

Biblical place name; origin uncertain

Meaning or derivation

Possibly delight or a plain

Our browsing group

unisex; nature, modern

Browsing groups describe our editorial shortlist, not rules about who may use a name. A name can cross languages and genders.

Sources for this entry — reviewed 2026-10-07:

• Behind the Name — Eden

Pronunciation and related forms

EE-duhn (English)

English respellings are approximate; IPA is labelled where used. Follow the pronunciation a person or family chooses, and check it with a speaker of the intended language if that connection matters to you.

No variants or nicknames have been verified for this entry. A family nickname does not need to be an established dictionary form.

How popular is Eden?

In 2025, 594 baby girls in England and Wales were registered as Eden, making it the 80th most popular girls’ name. That is down 20 places on 2024, when it ranked 60th. It is used for both sexes: 180 boys were also given the name (255th for boys). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it ranked 131st, so it has climbed 51 places in a decade. Its best year in the ONS series was 2024, at 60th. These figures cover England and Wales, not the whole UK.

2025 rank (girls)

80th

2025 registrations

594

Best rank in this series

60th (2024)

Every year from 1996 to 2025

Eden: rank and number of baby girls by year (ONS)

Year	Rank	Babies
2025	80	594
2024	60	714
2023	87	536
2022	87	547
2021	91	585
2020	98	514
2019	111	468
2018	115	465
2017	113	476
2016	117	493
2015	131	432
2014	135	407
2013	136	392
2012	150	376
2011	150	362
2010	147	365
2009	150	363
2008	144	374
2007	180	297
2006	204	238
2005	212	225
2004	203	228
2003	218	214
2002	195	221
2001	174	241
2000	183	237
1999	171	263
1998	201	214
1997	236	172
1996	273	136

The sum of published counts in this 1996–2025 girls series is 11,149. This is a lower bound where years are suppressed, not the number of living people with the name. A best rank is the best position within this series; it does not establish an all-time record.

Selected hyphenated registrations starting with Eden in 2025: Eden-Rose: 12 (girls). This selection includes up to four matching forms with at least ten registrations, not every compound name.

Sources: ONS release, 2025; girls' dataset; boys' dataset. Our 20 top-ten positions were checked against Table 1 in the 2025 workbooks. The history chart and spelling comparisons come from the separate ONS 1996–2025 workbook, checked 7 October 2026. Spelling variants are separate entries. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate statistics.

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Names to compare with Eden

These suggestions share a browsing group and one or more of our style tags or source-context labels. They are taste comparisons, not etymological relatives or a popularity ranking.

• Rivernature, modern · A river
• Sagenature, modern · The herb or a wise person
• Blakemodern · From words for black or pale
• Frankiemodern · A short form of Frank or Frances
• Marlowemodern · Remnants of a lake
• Quinnmodern · From the surname Ó Cuinn

Read the UK naming guide for the difference between inspiration lists and official statistics, or return to the full name finder.

Registering or changing the name

Once you decide on Eden, confirm the registration process for your UK nation with the register office. If you later want to change a registered name, the route depends on the circumstances and may require consent from people with parental responsibility.

Start with GOV.UK birth registration or GOV.UK guidance on changing a child’s name. Our registration guide and child name-change guide explain where to find the relevant official process.