Name day
Edward: Name Day and Patron Saint
Edward keeps the name day on 18 March, or 31 March on the Old Calendar: the feast of St Edward the Martyr.
- Patron saint
- St Edward the Martyr
- New Calendar
- 18 March
- Old Calendar
- 31 March
- Next name day
- 18 March 2027 (New Calendar) · 31 March 2027 (Old Calendar)
- In the feast calendar
- The feasts of March
The patron saint: St Edward the Martyr
Kept on 18 March, or 31 March on the Old Calendar · Martyrdom
St Edward, son of King Edgar the Peaceable, became King of England in 975 when he was still a boy. He continued his father’s work of restoring churches and monasteries and held prayer and Christian piety to be the heart of a true kingdom. On 18 March 978 he rode alone to Corfe Castle to visit his young half-brother Ethelred. As he took a cup of welcome, he was stabbed by servants of his stepmother’s household. His horse dragged the dying king down the hill. His body was hidden in a poor woman’s hut, where a heavenly light shone and healed her blindness. Later a pillar of light revealed his grave, and his incorrupt relics were taken to Shaftesbury Abbey, where many were healed. Thought lost at the Reformation, the relics were found in 1931 and given to the Orthodox Church. In 1984 they were enshrined at Brookwood, Surrey, where Orthodox pilgrims still venerate this innocent royal martyr of the undivided Church.
What the faithful pray for
- healing of eye diseases and blindness
- healing of leg ailments
- forgiveness and peace within divided families
- the revival of Orthodox faith in England and the West
- patience under injustice
- the protection of the young
Protection
- from treachery and betrayal
- from blindness and eye disease
- from family hatred and envy
- the young from violence
Miracles
- A woman blind from birth, in whose hut the murderers hid his body, saw an unearthly light fill her cottage that night and was healed of her blindness. (source)
- About 980 a pillar of light appeared over his hidden grave near Wareham. His relics were found intact, and a spring of pure water burst forth there and became a holy well of healing. (source)
- Over the centuries many healings, especially of eye and leg diseases, were recorded at his shrine, including a blind boy and a leper in the days of King Edward the Confessor. (source)
Edward in other languages
| Language | The name | Short forms |
|---|---|---|
| English | Edward, Eduard, Edvard, Eduardo, Edouard | Ed, Eddie, Eddy, Ted, Teddy, Ned, Ward |
| Russian | Эдуард, Eduard | Эдик, Edik |
| Spanish | Eduardo | |
| French | Édouard | |
| Polish | Edward |
Icons of St Edward the Martyr
Have it consecrated by our priest before it reaches you: Consecration, $49.
A name-day gift for Edward
Name-Day Gift Set $213$149
A patron saint's folding diptych chosen by first name, a stainless steel crucifix and a prayer rope, in a gift box with a card giving the saint's life and feast day.
St Edward the Martyr's diptych is chosen and the name is filled in.
Questions
When is Edward’s name day?
Edward keeps the name day on 18 March on the New Calendar and on 31 March on the Old Calendar, the feast of St Edward the Martyr.
Who is the patron saint of Edward?
St Edward the Martyr. St Edward, son of King Edgar the Peaceable, became King of England in 975 when he was still a boy.
How is Edward written in other languages?
Russian: Эдуард (Eduard), Spanish: Eduardo, French: Édouard and Polish: Edward. Every form of the name keeps the same saint.
What is a good name-day gift for Edward?
An icon of St Edward the Martyr, the saint Edward bears: the St Edward the Martyr, King of England & Guardian Angel Folding Diptych ($69), or the Name-Day Gift Set ($149) with that diptych, a crucifix and a prayer rope in a gift box.
More about name days
- Name Days Explained: What They Are, How Families Keep Them, and Gifts
A name day is the feast of the saint whose name you carry. Here is how to find yours on either calendar, how Greek and Russian families keep it, and what to give.
- Orthodox Patron Saint: How to Find Yours (by Name, Day or Choice)
Your Orthodox patron saint is the saint whose name you were given at baptism. Here is how to find yours by name, by the day of your birth or baptism, or by choice, and how to keep the name day.
- Find another name