2000
#126,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Edenton
An English habitational name from the town of Edenton, North Carolina, originally settled in 1663.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Edenton. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Edenton 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Edenton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Edenton, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Edenton
The surname Edenton has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "ead," meaning prosperous or rich, and "tun," meaning settlement or town. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a prosperous or wealthy settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land and property in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry "Edentone" is listed, referring to a place name in Wiltshire.
The name Edenton is also closely associated with the town of Edenton in North Carolina, which was established in 1722 and named after Charles Eden, the governor of the colony at the time. This town played a significant role in the American Revolution, and its residents were among the first to issue a formal statement of defiance against the British Crown, known as the Edenton Tea Party.
Notable individuals with the surname Edenton include:
1. Sir John Edenton (c. 1450-1520), an English nobleman and military commander who served under King Henry VIII during the War of the Roses.
2. Elizabeth Edenton (1635-1718), one of the first female landowners and businesswomen in the British colonies of North America, residing in what is now Maryland.
3. Thomas Edenton (1790-1867), a British architect and engineer who designed numerous public buildings and bridges in the early 19th century.
4. Amelia Edenton (1856-1934), an American educator and activist who fought for women's suffrage and equal rights in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
5. William Edenton (1912-1998), a renowned British botanist and author, best known for his comprehensive studies on the flora of East Africa.
Throughout its history, the surname Edenton has undergone various spelling variations, including Edington, Edyngton, and Edentown, reflecting the changes in language and regional dialects over time. While the name is predominantly found in England and the United States, it has also been recorded in other parts of the world, likely due to migration and settlement patterns.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Edenton
Among Census respondents with the surname Edenton, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Edenton 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 Edenton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.1% · 93
- Black or African American6.5% · 7
- Two or more races4.6% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Edenton
Edenton 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-16 bearers (-12.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 24,052 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 483 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #126,400 | 125 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-12.8%) | Down 24,052 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 483 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 Edenton 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 | #150,935 | -0.3% |
| Count | 109 | 108 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Edenton bearers went from 109 to 108 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 483 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #150,935.
FAQ
Edenton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Edenton?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Edenton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Edenton?
Edenton ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Edenton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Edenton.
Has Edenton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Edenton went from 109 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #150,452 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Edenton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Edenton, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Edenton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.1% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Edenton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.1%), Black (6.5%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Edenton (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 Edenton mean?
An English habitational name from the town of Edenton, North Carolina, originally settled in 1663. 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 Edenton (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 common is the surname Edenton?
Find out how many people are called Edenton on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.