2000
#5,411
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,924
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.20
Rare Last name
Edmunds
Derived from the Old English personal name Ēadmund, meaning "rich or blessed protection."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,703 Americans carry the last name Edmunds. That puts it at #5,712 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 51,134 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Edmunds 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 Edmunds with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.7K
1 in 51,134
Census rank
#5,712
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,845 bearers of the surname Edmunds in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5712th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Edmunds, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.0%. The next largest groups are Black (13.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Edmunds
The surname Edmunds is of English origin and derived from the personal name Edmund, which comes from the Old English words "ead" meaning prosperity or wealth, and "mund" meaning protection. It was a popular name among the Anglo-Saxons and Normans.
The name first appeared in its modern spelling in the 13th century, but earlier variations such as Edmond, Edmunde, and Edmonde were common. It is believed that the name was initially a nickname or a descriptive term for someone who was prosperous or wealthy and under protection.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Edmunds can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where a person named Walter Edmunds is mentioned. The Hundred Rolls were a census conducted in England during the reign of King Edward I.
In the 14th century, the surname Edmunds appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire, where a person named John Edmunds is listed as a taxpayer. The Subsidy Rolls were a taxation record used to collect revenues for the Crown.
The Edmunds surname is also linked to various place names in England, such as Edmundthorpe in Leicestershire and Edmundbyers in County Durham. These place names likely derived from people with the surname Edmunds who lived or owned land in those areas.
Notable individuals with the surname Edmunds throughout history include:
1. Sir Thomas Edmunds (1563-1639), an English diplomat and politician who served as the Treasurer of the Household to King James I.
2. Sir Walter Edmunds (1637-1718), an English banker and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the City of London.
3. Thomas Edmunds (1803-1886), a Welsh Baptist minister and author who wrote several religious works.
4. John Maxwell Edmunds (1909-1992), an American philosopher and author known for his work on the philosophy of science.
5. Sir Clement Edmunds (1850-1935), a British civil servant and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Newbury.
The surname Edmunds has a rich history and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including politicians, diplomats, religious figures, authors, and philosophers. Its origins can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon and Norman periods, reflecting the cultural and linguistic influences that shaped the English language and society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Edmunds
Among Census respondents with the surname Edmunds, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.0%. The next largest groups are Black (13.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Edmunds 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 Edmunds surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.0% · 4,561
- Black or African American13.4% · 786
- Two or more races4.3% · 251
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 197
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 40
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Edmunds
Edmunds 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
#5,646
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,151
+227 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 2.09
Rank movement Down 235 places
2020
#5,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,845
-306 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.96
Rank movement Down 66 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,411 | 5,924 | 2.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,646 | 6,151 | 2.09 | +227 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 235 places |
| 2020 | #5,712 | 5,845 | 1.96 | -306 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 66 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 Edmunds 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 | #5,646 | #5,712 | -1.2% |
| Count | 6,151 | 5,845 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.09 | 1.96 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Edmunds bearers went from 6,151 to 5,845 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 66 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,646 to #5,712.
FAQ
Edmunds surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Edmunds?
Name Census estimates that about 6,703 living Americans carry the surname Edmunds. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 51,134 residents.
How common is Edmunds?
Edmunds ranks #5,712 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.96 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,845 people with the surname Edmunds. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,703), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.96 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Edmunds.
Has Edmunds become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Edmunds went from 6,151 recorded bearers to 5,845. That is a decrease of 306 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,646 to #5,712.
What does the Census say about the background of Edmunds?
Among Census respondents with the surname Edmunds, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.0%. The next largest groups are Black (13.4%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Edmunds in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.0% (4,561 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Edmunds appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.0%), Black (13.4%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Edmunds (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 Edmunds mean?
Derived from the Old English personal name Ēadmund, meaning "rich or blessed protection." 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 Edmunds (1.96 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 Edmunds?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.