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

Edgar, 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 Edgar surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Edgar in America

Edgar is the 3014th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Edgar surname appeared 11,895 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Edgar.

We can also compare 2010 data for Edgar 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 Edgar

The surname Edgar is of English origin, derived from the Old English personal name Eadgar, which is composed of the elements "ead" meaning prosperity or fortune, and "gar" meaning spear. The name first appeared in historical records in the late 9th century.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was King Edgar the Peaceful, who ruled England from 959 to 975 AD. He was known for his efforts to consolidate the kingdom and promote monastic reform. The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England completed in 1086, includes several entries for individuals with the surname Edgar.

The name Edgar was relatively common in medieval England, particularly in the counties of Warwickshire, Staffordshire, and Worcestershire. Some early spellings included Edgare, Edegar, and Eggar. Place names associated with the surname include Edgbaston, a suburb of Birmingham, which derives its name from the Old English words "Edga" and "bostell," meaning "Edga's homestead."

Among the notable individuals with the surname Edgar throughout history are Thomas Edgar (1649-1737), a Scottish mathematician and writer on trade and commerce, and John Edgar (1768-1805), a British naval officer and explorer who circumnavigated the globe with Captain George Vancouver in the late 18th century.

In the 19th century, Sir John Edgar (1834-1864) was a British naval officer and hydrographer who surveyed the Persian Gulf and Red Sea. James David Edgar (1841-1899) was a Scottish-Canadian businessman and politician who served as Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons from 1896 to 1899.

Another notable bearer of the name was Sir Robert Edgar (1870-1938), a British colonial administrator who served as Governor of Madras Presidency in India from 1924 to 1930. He was knighted for his services to the British Empire.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Edgar

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

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 Edgar 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 Edgar 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 Edgar was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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