Find out how popular the last name Eden is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Eden.

Eden, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Eden surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Eden in America

Eden is the 4736th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Eden surname appeared 7,489 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Eden.

We can also compare 2010 data for Eden to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Eden

The surname Eden is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "eden" meaning a "region of no man's land, open ground, or pasture." It likely originated as a topographic name, given to someone living in an unsettled or uncultivated area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Edene." This suggests that the name was already in use in England by the late 11th century.

During the Middle Ages, the name was often associated with place names containing the element "eden," such as Eden Hall in Westmorland and Eden Valley in Cumbria. These places likely derived their names from the Old English word, indicating their locations in open or uncultivated areas.

A notable early bearer of the surname was Sir Robert Eden (1521-1576), an English politician and landowner from County Durham. He served as a Member of Parliament and held the position of Sheriff of Northumberland.

Another prominent figure was Sir Ashley Eden (1831-1887), a British colonial administrator who served as the Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal from 1877 to 1882. He played a crucial role in the development of colonial policies in India.

In the literary world, the name Eden is associated with Robert Eden (1741-1784), an English clergyman and author known for his work "The Principles of Penal Law." He contributed to the debate on criminal justice reform in the 18th century.

The surname also has a connection to the Eden family, a prominent English aristocratic family that traced their roots to County Durham. One notable member was Sir William Eden (1744-1814), a politician and diplomat who served as the British ambassador to several European courts.

Another individual worth mentioning is Charles Eden (1673-1722), an English clergyman and author who wrote on theological and philosophical subjects. His works, such as "The State of the Dead," were influential in their time.

While the surname Eden has English origins, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, carried by immigrants and settlers from Britain.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Eden

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Eden.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Eden was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Eden has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Eden was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Eden, please contact us.

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