2010
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Edema
A surname referring to swelling or puffiness, derived from the medical term for abnormal fluid accumulation in bodily tissues.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Edema. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Edema 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Edema in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Edema, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.2%. The next largest groups are Black (42.1%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Edema
The surname EDEMA has its origins in the German language, and can be traced back to the late 15th century. The name is believed to have derived from the German word "ödem," which means "swelling" or "edema," referring to a condition characterized by an excessive accumulation of fluid in the body's tissues.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the EDEMA surname can be found in the town records of Augsburg, Germany, dating back to 1497. During this time, the name was often spelled as "Oedem" or "Oedeman," reflecting the phonetic variations that were common in the German language.
In the 16th century, the EDEMA surname gained prominence through the works of Johannes Oedeman, a German physician and scholar who published several influential treatises on the subject of edema and other medical conditions. Born in 1525 in Strasbourg, Johannes Oedeman is considered one of the earliest pioneers in the study of lymphatic disorders.
The name EDEMA also appeared in various historical documents throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, including church records and legal documents. One notable individual bearing this surname was Johann Gottlieb Edema, a German theologian and philosopher born in 1670 in Leipzig. His works on ethics and moral philosophy were widely read and influential during his time.
In the 19th century, the EDEMA surname gained further recognition through the contributions of Carl Friedrich Edema, a German botanist and naturalist. Born in 1802 in Saxony, Edema made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy and was responsible for identifying and classifying numerous plant species found in Central Europe.
Another prominent figure with the EDEMA surname was Wilhelm Edema, a German architect and urban planner who lived from 1855 to 1924. Edema was instrumental in the design and development of several notable buildings and urban spaces in Berlin, and his work had a lasting impact on the city's architectural landscape.
Throughout its history, the EDEMA surname has been associated with various professions and fields of expertise, including medicine, academia, and the arts. While its origins can be traced back to the German language and its connection to the medical term "edema," the name has since spread to various parts of the world, reflecting the migration patterns and cultural exchanges that have shaped human societies over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Edema
Among Census respondents with the surname Edema, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.2%. The next largest groups are Black (42.1%) and Hispanic (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Edema 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 Edema surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White56.2% · 68
- Black or African American42.1% · 51
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Edema
Edema appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+12 bearers (+11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,143 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.0%) | Up 9,143 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 Edema 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 | #150,452 | #141,309 | 6.1% |
| Count | 109 | 121 | 11.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Edema bearers went from 109 to 121 (+11.0% change). The surname moved up 9,143 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #141,309.
FAQ
Edema surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Edema?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Edema. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Edema?
Edema ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 121 people with the surname Edema. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Edema.
Has Edema become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Edema went from 109 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 12 (+11.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Edema?
Among Census respondents with the surname Edema, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.2%. The next largest groups are Black (42.1%) and Hispanic (0.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Edema in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.2% (68 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Edema appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (56.2%), Black (42.1%), Hispanic (0.8%). 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 Edema (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 Edema mean?
A surname referring to swelling or puffiness, derived from the medical term for abnormal fluid accumulation in bodily tissues. 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 Edema (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Edema?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.