2000
#6,660
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,677
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.73
Rare Last name
Edgerton
From a place name meaning "farmstead by an oak tree," derived from Old English words ecg and tun.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,964 Americans carry the last name Edgerton. That puts it at #7,423 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 69,048 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Edgerton 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 Edgerton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.0K
1 in 69,048
Census rank
#7,423
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,329 bearers of the surname Edgerton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7423rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Edgerton, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Black (17.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Edgerton
Among Census respondents with the surname Edgerton, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Black (17.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Edgerton 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 Edgerton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.2% · 3,255
- Black or African American17.1% · 740
- Two or more races3.8% · 163
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 131
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Edgerton
Edgerton 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
#7,060
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,740
+63 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 1.61
Rank movement Down 400 places
2020
#7,423
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,329
-411 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 1.45
Rank movement Down 363 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,660 | 4,677 | 1.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,060 | 4,740 | 1.61 | +63 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 400 places |
| 2020 | #7,423 | 4,329 | 1.45 | -411 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 363 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 Edgerton 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 | #7,060 | #7,423 | -5.1% |
| Count | 4,740 | 4,329 | -8.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.61 | 1.45 | -10.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Edgerton bearers went from 4,740 to 4,329 (-8.7% change). The surname moved down 363 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,060 to #7,423.
FAQ
Edgerton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Edgerton?
Name Census estimates that about 4,964 living Americans carry the surname Edgerton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 69,048 residents.
How common is Edgerton?
Edgerton ranks #7,423 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.45 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,329 people with the surname Edgerton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,964), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.45 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Edgerton.
Has Edgerton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Edgerton went from 4,740 recorded bearers to 4,329. That is a decrease of 411 (-8.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,060 to #7,423.
What does the Census say about the background of Edgerton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Edgerton, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Black (17.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Edgerton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.2% (3,255 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Edgerton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.2%), Black (17.1%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Edgerton (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 Edgerton mean?
From a place name meaning "farmstead by an oak tree," derived from Old English words ecg and tun. 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 Edgerton (1.45 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 Americans have the surname Edgerton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.