Anthroponymic Study: "Edward" means "Weird"?
Knee-deep in the research and planning stages of the fantasy trilogy that I am going to write (likely in the very distant future), I have found myself extraordinarily interested by the meanings of names (both given and surnames) and their origins. This fondness is not uncommon in people of literary and artistic bent, so I thought I would share an interesting observation concerning one name in particular.
"Edward." It is an English given name meaning "rich guard," according to BehindTheNameDotCom (which is in my top-five favorite websites of all time). It is an extraordinarily popular name, and has been for centuries. Even now, its prevalence hasn't diminished: it has ranked in the top fifty names in England for the past ten years. Overall, "Edward" is a thoroughly common name for ordinary boys.
So why on earth is every "Edward" I know so totally and completely not normal?
Evidence:
Edward Scissorhands. Has, well, scissors for hands. Doesn't speak much, wears solid black, and is angsty in his loneliness.
Edward Cullen. Vampire. Not only that, but vegetarian (drinks animal blood, not human). Apparently supernaturally beautiful (as if Meyer doesn't tell us that a million times -_-). Suffers from permenant teenager angst as well as that Mick St. John-esque vampire angst about being in love with a mortal woman (just bite her already!).
Edward Elric. Alchemist. Child prodigy. Automail right arm and left leg. Has a younger brother that merely consists of a soul trapped in a walking suit of armor. Tried to bring his mother back to life - epic fail. Wears all black leather under a red coat. Suffers from major angst about epic fail, about the price of a Philosopher's Stone (forget Marcoh; contact Nicholas Flamel), about colonels with god-complexes, about drinking milk, and about being called "short."
...And that was just the Edwards I could think of off the top of my head (and I didn't even get into all of their unnormal attributes).
It really makes me wonder, how did people with supernatural limbs, mystical abilities, odd eating habits, gothic dress, and enough angst to suffocate an entire continent - overall, people who are just plain weird - get such a common and ordinary name?
My one hypothesis is that characters who have so many unusual qualities almost demand a less strange name in order to balance them out. Otherwise, it might be difficult for readers/viewers to identify with them.
I'm sure there are more answers to that question as well. Any other opinions, anyone? And does anyone know of any other off-the-wall people named "Edward"? Or, hopefully, any normal boys with that name?
~Eevee