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

Edgell, 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 Edgell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Edgell in America

Edgell is the 13221st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Edgell surname appeared 2,311 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Edgell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Edgell 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 Edgell

The surname Edgell has its origins in England, tracing back to the early medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "ecg" meaning "edge" and "hyll" meaning "hill," suggesting that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a prominent hill or ridge.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Eggel" and "Eggehelle." This suggests that the name had already been established in various parts of England by the late 11th century.

During the Middle Ages, the name was primarily concentrated in the counties of Berkshire, Oxfordshire, and Wiltshire, where several places bearing similar names, such as Edghill and Edgehills, existed. These place names likely influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.

One notable historical figure bearing the surname Edgell was John Edgell (c. 1535-1593), an English clergyman and author who served as the rector of Broughton in Northamptonshire during the latter part of the 16th century.

In the 17th century, the surname appeared in various records, including the marriage of William Edgell to Elizabeth Strickland in 1632 at St. Martin's Church in Birmingham.

During the 18th century, the name gained prominence with individuals like Richard Edgell (1693-1770), a wealthy merchant and landowner in Bristol, and John Edgell (1729-1803), a renowned engraver and printmaker from London.

In the 19th century, one of the most notable figures with the surname Edgell was Sir John Edgell (1808-1891), a British civil engineer and surveyor who played a crucial role in the construction of several major railway lines in England and Wales.

Another prominent individual was George Edgell (1826-1896), an English author and journalist who wrote extensively on social and political issues, including works such as "The Lay of the Purple Falcon" and "The Rhymed Couplets of Piers Plowman."

As the surname spread across the British Isles and beyond, it underwent various spelling variations, including Edgill, Egill, Edghill, and Edgehill, reflecting regional dialects and the influence of scribes and record-keepers.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Edgell

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

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

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

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