2000
#7,951
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,860
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.43
Rare Last name
Edison
Derived from an English place name meaning "Eadis estate" or "Eada's estate," referring to a settlement owned by someone with those names.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,362 Americans carry the last name Edison. That puts it at #8,336 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 78,577 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Edison 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 Edison with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.4K
1 in 78,577
Census rank
#8,336
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,804 bearers of the surname Edison in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8336th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Edison, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.1%. The next largest groups are Black (36.2%) and Hispanic (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Edison
Among Census respondents with the surname Edison, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.1%. The next largest groups are Black (36.2%) and Hispanic (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Edison 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 Edison surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White47.1% · 1,792
- Black or African American36.2% · 1,376
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 210
- Two or more races4.8% · 181
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.3% · 163
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.2% · 82
Timeline
Historical Census data for Edison
Edison 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
#8,250
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,015
+155 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 1.36
Rank movement Down 299 places
2020
#8,336
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,804
-211 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Down 86 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,951 | 3,860 | 1.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,250 | 4,015 | 1.36 | +155 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 299 places |
| 2020 | #8,336 | 3,804 | 1.27 | -211 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 86 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 Edison 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 | #8,250 | #8,336 | -1.0% |
| Count | 4,015 | 3,804 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.36 | 1.27 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Edison bearers went from 4,015 to 3,804 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 86 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,250 to #8,336.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Edison
FAQ
Edison surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Edison?
Name Census estimates that about 4,362 living Americans carry the surname Edison. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 78,577 residents.
How common is Edison?
Edison ranks #8,336 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.27 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 3,804 people with the surname Edison. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,362), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.27 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 Edison.
Has Edison become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Edison went from 4,015 recorded bearers to 3,804. That is a decrease of 211 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,250 to #8,336.
What does the Census say about the background of Edison?
Among Census respondents with the surname Edison, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.1%. The next largest groups are Black (36.2%) and Hispanic (5.5%). 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 Edison in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.1% (1,792 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Edison appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (47.1%), Black (36.2%), Hispanic (5.5%). 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 Edison (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 Edison mean?
Derived from an English place name meaning "Eadis estate" or "Eada's estate," referring to a settlement owned by someone with those names. 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 Edison (1.27 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 share the surname Edison?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.