2000
#12,520
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,270
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Edler
A surname of German origin meaning "noble" or "aristocratic," derived from the Middle High German word "edel."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,480 Americans carry the last name Edler. That puts it at #13,457 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 138,207 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Edler 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 Edler with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 138,207
Census rank
#13,457
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,163 bearers of the surname Edler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13457th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Edler, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (9.2%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Edler
The surname EDLER originated in Germany, with records of the name dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the German word "edel," meaning "noble" or "aristocratic." The name was likely initially bestowed upon someone of noble birth or someone who held a respected position in society.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the EDLER surname can be found in the Codex Traditionum Westfalicarum, a medieval manuscript from the 12th century that documented land transactions and property ownership in Westphalia, a region in northwestern Germany. The name appeared as "Edelere" in this document.
During the 13th century, the EDLER name was also found in various charters and legal documents from the region of Saxony, which was then part of the Holy Roman Empire. In these records, the name was often associated with individuals who held positions of authority or were members of the local aristocracy.
In the 14th century, the EDLER surname was recorded in the Bairische Landtafel, a register of landowners and their properties in the Bavarian region. This document mentions an individual named Hans EDLER, who was a landowner in the village of Aschau in 1381.
One notable bearer of the EDLER name was Johann Philipp EDLER von Musbach, a German jurist and legal scholar who lived from 1606 to 1668. He served as a professor of law at the University of Jena and was widely respected for his contributions to the field of jurisprudence.
Another significant figure with the EDLER surname was Friedrich Adolf EDLER von Kalckreuth, a Prussian general who fought in the Seven Years' War and the Napoleonic Wars. He was born in 1737 and died in 1818, having achieved a distinguished military career and receiving numerous honors for his service.
In the 19th century, the EDLER name was associated with several notable artists and musicians. One such individual was Christian EDLER, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1797 to 1868. His works were exhibited in various galleries across Europe and are now part of several museum collections.
Another notable bearer of the EDLER surname was Johann Kaspar EDLER von Heerdt, a German composer and organist who lived from 1759 to 1828. He was known for his contributions to sacred music and served as the court organist in Mannheim, a cultural center in southwestern Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Edler
Among Census respondents with the surname Edler, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (9.2%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Edler 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 Edler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.5% · 1,827
- Black or African American9.2% · 200
- Two or more races3.1% · 66
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Edler
Edler 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
#13,316
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,291
+21 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 796 places
2020
#13,457
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,163
-128 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 141 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,520 | 2,270 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,316 | 2,291 | 0.78 | +21 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 796 places |
| 2020 | #13,457 | 2,163 | 0.72 | -128 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 141 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 Edler 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 | #13,316 | #13,457 | -1.1% |
| Count | 2,291 | 2,163 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.72 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Edler bearers went from 2,291 to 2,163 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 141 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,316 to #13,457.
FAQ
Edler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Edler?
Name Census estimates that about 2,480 living Americans carry the surname Edler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 138,207 residents.
How common is Edler?
Edler ranks #13,457 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 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 2,163 people with the surname Edler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,480), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 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 Edler.
Has Edler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Edler went from 2,291 recorded bearers to 2,163. That is a decrease of 128 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,316 to #13,457.
What does the Census say about the background of Edler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Edler, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (9.2%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Edler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.5% (1,827 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Edler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.5%), Black (9.2%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Edler (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 Edler mean?
A surname of German origin meaning "noble" or "aristocratic," derived from the Middle High German word "edel." 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 Edler (0.72 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 Edler?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.