From Germanic elements meaning "wealth" or "prosperity" and "famous" or "renowned."
Edmar is a name of Germanic and Old English ancestry, constructed from two ancient compound elements: "ead" (or "ed"), meaning wealth, prosperity, or blessed fortune, and "maer" (or "mar"), meaning famous, renowned, or great. Similar compounds appear throughout early medieval naming records — Eadmund (Edmund), Eadward (Edward), Eadmaer — reflecting a Germanic naming philosophy that celebrated social virtues: to be both prosperous and celebrated was the ideal of the chieftain and the nobleman. The name appears in medieval English records and in Scandinavian regions where Germanic naming conventions were dominant.
Over the centuries, Edmar largely faded from use in English-speaking countries, but it found renewed life in the Iberian Peninsula and particularly in Brazil, where it became a quietly popular masculine name throughout the twentieth century. In Brazilian Portuguese, Edmar carries a dignified, classic register — neither archaic nor fashionable, but solidly established. The Brazilian musician Edmar Castaneda, a virtuosic Colombian-born double bassist who has performed with artists from Chick Corea to Andrea Bocelli, has given the name an international artistic association.
In contemporary usage, Edmar occupies an interesting position: rare enough in English-speaking North America to feel distinctive, but familiar enough through its root elements (the "Ed-" prefix connects it to Edward, Edgar, Edwin) to sit comfortably on a birth certificate. Parents drawn to it often appreciate its transatlantic quality — a name that carries both European historical depth and a warm Latin American currency.