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

Edgerton, 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 Edgerton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Edgerton in America

Edgerton is the 7060th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Edgerton surname appeared 4,740 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Edgerton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Edgerton 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 Edgerton

The surname Edgerton has its origins in England, stemming from the village of Edgerton, located in the county of Lancashire. The name itself is derived from Old English, with "Edger" meaning "dweller by the edge" and "tun" meaning an enclosure or settlement. This suggests that the name was originally used to identify those who lived on the outskirts or borders of a particular area.

Historically, the name Edgerton can be traced back to the 13th century, with records indicating its presence in various documents from that period onwards. One notable mention is in the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire from 1332, which lists an individual named Richard de Edgerton. This suggests that the name was well-established in the region by that time.

In the 16th century, the Edgerton family gained prominence in Lancashire, with several members holding positions of influence in the local community. One such individual was Sir Richard Edgerton (1554-1623), who served as a Member of Parliament and was knighted by King James I in 1617.

Moving forward to the 17th century, the name appears in the Hearth Tax Rolls of Lancashire from 1663, further cementing its presence in the region. During this period, the spelling variation "Egerton" also emerged, as seen in the case of Thomas Egerton (1540-1617), who served as Lord Chancellor of England under Queen Elizabeth I and King James I.

The 18th century saw the spread of the Edgerton name to other parts of England and beyond. One notable figure from this era was Richard Edgerton (1720-1769), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Seven Years' War and played a role in the capture of the French island of Guadeloupe.

In the 19th century, the Edgerton name continued to be prominent, with individuals like Joseph Edgerton (1818-1893), a British industrialist and founder of the Edgerton Colliery in Yorkshire, contributing to the economic development of the region. Another notable figure was Sir Edward Ridley Colborne Edgerton (1842-1910), a British colonial administrator who served as Governor of British Guiana (now Guyana) from 1904 to 1909.

As the Edgerton name spread across the globe, individuals bearing this surname have made their mark in various fields. One such example is Harold Eugene Edgerton (1903-1990), an American engineer and professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, renowned for his pioneering work in the field of stroboscopic photography and ultra-high-speed cinematography.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Edgerton

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

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

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

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