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It's my grandmother's name. I've never liked it. She's never liked it. My grandpa never liked it and always called her by her first and middle (Edna Jean) to sort of feminize it...or something. The only reason she has that name is because her parents had no sons to name after her father (Edward James).

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My grandma is one of the most important people in my life, and I would like to name a daughter for her someday, but I wouldn't use Edna or Jean to do it. (I've never cared for Jean either, AND it's the middle name of my mother and a cousin, and I don't want it to look like it's for anyone other than my grandmother), so I plan on using Edith Jane, assuming I can get my still hypothetical future SO to agree!

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At any rate, I have trouble seeing it as spunky and cute, and I really hate Eddie.

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Oh, I really like Edna! My primary association is the lovely and talented Edna St. Vincent Millay. Also, for the record, I prefer Eddy to Edie as a female nickname -- it has much more moxie!

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Edna Beatrice
Edna Blythe
Edna Camille
Edna Carole
Edna Caroline
Edna Catherine
Edna Celeste
Edna Celine
Edna Chloe
Edna Cicely
Edna Circe
Edna Cleo / Clio
Edna Coral
Edna Coralie
Edna Emily
Edna Eugenie
Edna Fern
Edna Hazel
Edna Jacqueline
Edna Julianne
Edna Julie
Edna Laurel
Edna Laurence
Edna Laurentine
Edna Lilias
Edna Lillie / Lily

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I think it's okay, though the first person that comes to mind when I hear "Edna" is Edna Krabappel (from The Simpsons).

I can see some Hollywood type using it just to be using it, but I really don't see even hardcore hipsters picking it up. It just sounds so ugly, and nasal and congested.

Edna is tough for me to say, there's something about the transition between the d and the n that's weird, but I do think it could be cute.

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Edna Verity
Edna Maryam
Edna Christine
Edna Julian
Edna Victoria
Edna Louise
Edna Wilhelmine
Edna Priscilla
Edna Mairead

Hmm I personally prefer Edie. I only know one Edna and she's in her 80s so I can't quite imagine it on a younger person. But then, who knows, if people start using it again it could become popular.

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Edna Cecelia
Edna Chantal
Edna Delicia
Edna Frances
Edna Harriet
Edna Katherine
Edna Laura
Edna Lydia
Edna Magdalene
Edna Margaret
Edna Martina
Edna Mildred
Edna Natalie
Edna Rosalia
Edna Serena
Edna Tabitha
Edna Theresa
Edna Veronica
Edna Victoria
Edna Vivian

Like Edie, but Eddie-r.

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The most perfect description ever employed.

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We used to play Phase 10 with this fat lady who was a client of my dad's. She was really cool, and so was phase 10. But I called her fat once. To her face! I dunno why. Anyway so I associate Edna with, like, weird awkward guilt re: fatness. I think for me, at this point, any Edna I met would have to be super-duper spunky to spunk this name up. Like Jessica-level spunky.

I like it, it has a sort of tweedy elegance. Smartly bobbed hair and a slouchy beret.
It's tempting to stick it with names like Jean and Iris and Muriel and Florence but let's try these instead:

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Edna Brooke
Edna Hollis - it seems to work well with surname-names
Edna Helene
Edna Marina
Edna Suzette
Edna Nicole
Edna Lilias
Edna Estella
Edna Sage

It's not one I'd use, by any means, but I'd give props to someone who would. Old-school for sure, but I think it's "salvagable". :) And Eddie would be an adorable nickname on a girl.

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I'm so crummy at creative combos.