2000
#2,528
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.86
Uncommon Last name
Edmondson
Son of Edmond, a diminutive form of the Old English personal name Ēadmund, meaning "rich protector."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,805 Americans carry the last name Edmondson. That puts it at #2,723 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,151 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Edmondson 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 Edmondson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 23,151
Census rank
#2,723
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,911 bearers of the surname Edmondson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2723rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Edmondson, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.3%. The next largest groups are Black (21.0%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Edmondson
The surname Edmondson originated in England, emerging in the late medieval period. It is a locational surname derived from the Old English personal name "Eadmund" combined with the word "tun," meaning an enclosure or settlement. The name likely referred to the settlement or estate of someone named Edmund.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Edmundestone" in Yorkshire. This suggests that the name was already well-established in parts of northern England by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, records show variations of the spelling, including "Edmundeston" and "Edmondeston." These early spellings reflect the name's origins as a place name before evolving into a surname.
Notable individuals with the surname Edmondson include Sir Thomas Edmondson (1600-1659), an English lawyer and member of Parliament during the English Civil War. John Edmondson (1776-1868) was a prominent English Quaker and philanthropist, known for his work in prison reform and the abolition of the slave trade.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name is Robert Edmondson (1775-1859), a Quaker minister and abolitionist from South Carolina. William Edmondson (1874-1951) was a renowned African American sculptor from Tennessee, known for his unique carvings in limestone.
Another notable figure is Sir Archibald Edmondson (1908-1973), a British diplomat who served as ambassador to several countries, including the Soviet Union and the United States.
The Edmondson surname has a rich history spanning several centuries, with its origins firmly rooted in the medieval English landscape and the development of locational surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Edmondson
Among Census respondents with the surname Edmondson, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.3%. The next largest groups are Black (21.0%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Edmondson 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 Edmondson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.3% · 9,071
- Black or African American21.0% · 2,717
- Two or more races4.2% · 541
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 445
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 69
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 68
Timeline
Historical Census data for Edmondson
Edmondson 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
#2,667
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,524
+417 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 4.58
Rank movement Down 139 places
2020
#2,723
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,911
-613 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 4.32
Rank movement Down 56 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,528 | 13,107 | 4.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,667 | 13,524 | 4.58 | +417 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 139 places |
| 2020 | #2,723 | 12,911 | 4.32 | -613 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 56 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 Edmondson 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 | #2,667 | #2,723 | -2.1% |
| Count | 13,524 | 12,911 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 4.58 | 4.32 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Edmondson bearers went from 13,524 to 12,911 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 56 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,667 to #2,723.
FAQ
Edmondson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Edmondson?
Name Census estimates that about 14,805 living Americans carry the surname Edmondson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,151 residents.
How common is Edmondson?
Edmondson ranks #2,723 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.32 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,911 people with the surname Edmondson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,805), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.32 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Edmondson.
Has Edmondson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Edmondson went from 13,524 recorded bearers to 12,911. That is a decrease of 613 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,667 to #2,723.
What does the Census say about the background of Edmondson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Edmondson, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.3%. The next largest groups are Black (21.0%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Edmondson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.3% (9,071 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Edmondson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.3%), Black (21.0%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Edmondson (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 Edmondson mean?
Son of Edmond, a diminutive form of the Old English personal name Ēadmund, meaning "rich protector." 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 Edmondson (4.32 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 have the last name Edmondson?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Edmondson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.