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

Edison, 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 Edison surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Edison in America

Edison is the 8250th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Edison surname appeared 4,015 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 Edison.

We can also compare 2010 data for Edison 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 Edison

The surname Edison originates from England and dates back to the late 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "Eades" and "tun," which together mean "Eade's town." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a town or village owned or founded by someone named Eade.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Edison surname can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Burnham, Buckinghamshire, England, where a certain William Edeson was mentioned in 1594. Other early variations of the spelling include Edyson, Eddyson, and Edeson.

The Edison surname is also associated with various place names in England, such as Edisonton (now known as Edington) in Wiltshire and Ediston in Northumberland. These place names likely contributed to the development and spread of the surname.

Notable individuals with the Edison surname include Thomas Edison (1847-1931), the famous American inventor and businessman credited with developing many devices, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and the long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. Another prominent figure was Sir Edward John Edison (1886-1967), a British civil engineer and naval architect who designed several notable ships, including the battleship HMS Vanguard.

Other historical figures with the Edison surname include Richard Edison (1670-1738), an English clergyman and author who wrote several theological works, and John Edison (1804-1896), a Scottish-born American inventor and manufacturer who developed several improvements to the telegraph system.

The Edison surname also has ties to the Domesday Book, the great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. While the name Edison itself is not mentioned, the village of Edington (formerly Edisonton) in Wiltshire is recorded, suggesting that the surname may have originated from this area.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Edison

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

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

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

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