2000
#9,526
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.16
Rare Last name
Eaddy
Derived from the Old English given name Eadwig, meaning "prosperous in war" or "rich in war."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,656 Americans carry the last name Eaddy. That puts it at #9,717 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 93,751 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Eaddy surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
3.7K
1 in 93,751
Census rank
#9,717
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,188 bearers of the surname Eaddy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9717th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Eaddy, the largest self-reported group is Black at 70.4%. The next largest groups are White (21.8%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Eaddy
The surname EADDY is of English origin, derived from the Old English personal name "Eadwig" or "Eadwig," which means "prosperous in war." The name first appeared in records as early as the 11th century in various counties of England, including Surrey, Middlesex, and Kent.
The earliest recorded instance of the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Eddwi" and "Eddwinus." This monumental survey, commissioned by William the Conqueror, documented landholders in England following the Norman Conquest of 1066, providing valuable insight into the distribution and prevalence of surnames during that period.
Over time, the name evolved into various spellings, such as Eddye, Edye, Edy, and eventually EADDY. This variation in spelling was common in the Middle Ages due to the lack of standardized orthography and the reliance on phonetic transcription by scribes.
In the 13th century, the name EADDY was associated with several place names in England, including Eadby in Lincolnshire and Edworth in Bedfordshire. These place names likely influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in their respective regions.
Notable individuals bearing the EADDY surname include:
1. Sir John Eaddy (c. 1520-1587), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Wiltshire during the reign of Elizabeth I.
2. Thomas Eaddy (c. 1560-1622), an English poet and dramatist known for his works "The Lover's Complaint" and "The Passionate Pilgrim."
3. Elizabeth Eaddy (c. 1670-1745), a landowner and philanthropist from Suffolk, England, who donated significant funds for the construction of a local church and school.
4. William Eaddy (c. 1780-1852), a British explorer and surveyor who mapped parts of Australia and New Zealand in the early 19th century.
5. Mary Eaddy (1840-1920), an English suffragette and activist who campaigned for women's right to vote and gender equality in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
While the EADDY surname may not be as prevalent as some other English surnames, its historical roots can be traced back to the Middle Ages, with a rich tapestry of individuals who contributed to various fields, from politics and literature to exploration and social reform.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eaddy
Among Census respondents with the surname Eaddy, the largest self-reported group is Black at 70.4%. The next largest groups are White (21.8%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Eaddy bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Eaddy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American70.4% · 2,243
- White21.8% · 694
- Two or more races4.5% · 143
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 98
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Eaddy
Eaddy appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#9,598
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,385
+255 bearers (+8.1%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Down 72 places
2020
#9,717
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,188
-197 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 1.07
Rank movement Down 119 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,526 | 3,130 | 1.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,598 | 3,385 | 1.15 | +255 bearers (+8.1%) | Down 72 places |
| 2020 | #9,717 | 3,188 | 1.07 | -197 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 119 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Eaddy surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #9,598 | #9,717 | -1.2% |
| Count | 3,385 | 3,188 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.15 | 1.07 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Eaddy bearers went from 3,385 to 3,188 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 119 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,598 to #9,717.
FAQ
Eaddy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Eaddy?
Name Census estimates that about 3,656 living Americans carry the surname Eaddy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 93,751 residents.
How common is Eaddy?
Eaddy ranks #9,717 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,188 people with the surname Eaddy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,656), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Eaddy.
Has Eaddy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Eaddy went from 3,385 recorded bearers to 3,188. That is a decrease of 197 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,598 to #9,717.
What does the Census say about the background of Eaddy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Eaddy, the largest self-reported group is Black at 70.4%. The next largest groups are White (21.8%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Eaddy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.4% (2,243 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Eaddy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (70.4%), White (21.8%), Two or More Races (4.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Eaddy (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Eaddy mean?
Derived from the Old English given name Eadwig, meaning "prosperous in war" or "rich in war." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Eaddy (1.07 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Eaddy?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Eaddy, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.