2000
#2,833
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,607
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.30
Uncommon Last name
Edgar
A surname of Anglo-Saxon origin referring to a wealthy or fortunate spear-bearer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,933 Americans carry the last name Edgar. That puts it at #3,112 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,502 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Edgar 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Edgar with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,502
Census rank
#3,112
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,278 bearers of the surname Edgar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3112th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Edgar, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Edgar
Among Census respondents with the surname Edgar, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Edgar 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 Edgar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.2% · 9,495
- Black or African American5.4% · 605
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 508
- Two or more races3.9% · 436
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 185
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 49
Timeline
Historical Census data for Edgar
Edgar 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
#3,014
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,895
+288 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 4.03
Rank movement Down 181 places
2020
#3,112
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,278
-617 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 3.77
Rank movement Down 98 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,833 | 11,607 | 4.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,014 | 11,895 | 4.03 | +288 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 181 places |
| 2020 | #3,112 | 11,278 | 3.77 | -617 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 98 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 Edgar 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 | #3,014 | #3,112 | -3.3% |
| Count | 11,895 | 11,278 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 4.03 | 3.77 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Edgar bearers went from 11,895 to 11,278 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 98 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,014 to #3,112.
FAQ
Edgar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Edgar?
Name Census estimates that about 12,933 living Americans carry the surname Edgar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,502 residents.
How common is Edgar?
Edgar ranks #3,112 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.77 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,278 people with the surname Edgar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,933), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.77 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Edgar.
Has Edgar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Edgar went from 11,895 recorded bearers to 11,278. That is a decrease of 617 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,014 to #3,112.
What does the Census say about the background of Edgar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Edgar, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Hispanic (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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Edgar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.2% (9,495 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Edgar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.2%), Black (5.4%), Hispanic (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 Edgar (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 Edgar mean?
A surname of Anglo-Saxon origin referring to a wealthy or fortunate spear-bearer. 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 Edgar (3.77 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 are called Edgar?
Find out how common the surname Edgar is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.