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

Edsel, 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 Edsel surname is from the 2000 census data.

Popularity of Edsel in America

Edsel is the 150436th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Edsel surname appeared 100 times in the 2000 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Edsel.

The history of the last name Edsel

The surname Edsel is relatively uncommon and has intriguing origins. The surname is believed to have Germanic roots, stemming from the Old High German personal name "Adal," which means "noble" or "precious." The morphological transformation from Adal to Edsel likely occurred over many generations, influenced by linguistic shifts and local dialects.

The early occurrences of the surname can be traced back to the regions of what is now modern-day Germany. Some records from the medieval period note similar-sounding surnames such as Adsel or Etzel, which may be variations or precursors to Edsel. These were often attached to individuals of some standing in their communities, hinting at the "noble" connotation of the name.

One of the earliest known instances of a surname resembling Edsel appears in a 13th-century manuscript where a man named Johann Adsel is recorded as a landholder in the Rhineland. The document, preserved in a regional archive, marks an important indication of the surname's presence in medieval Europe.

As time progressed, the name saw various spellings due to regional dialects and the phonetic interpretation of scribes. This phonetic evolution led to the adoption of Edsel in some family lineages. One prominent historical figure with the name Edsel was Wilhelm Edsel, a merchant from Hamburg born in 1587 and documented in trade records relating to the Hanseatic League.

In the 18th century, records from the region show the name Edsel becoming slightly more prevalent. Heinrich Edsel, born in 1742 in Bavaria, was a well-documented botanist whose contributions to early plant taxonomy were noted in local scientific annals. His recorded name confirms its use and slightly broader geographic spread within the German-speaking areas of Europe.

The Edsel surname made its way to America through German immigrants who settled in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. One such individual was Karl Edsel, who emigrated in 1874 and became a well-known blacksmith in Pennsylvania. His recorded arrival and subsequent community contributions are well documented in local town records.

One must not overlook the most famous bearer of the surname Edsel, whose significance is more commonly recognized in the automotive industry. Edsel Ford, born in 1893, was the son of the automobile pioneer Henry Ford and played a crucial role in the development of the Ford Motor Company. His name, while more frequently associated with the given name Edsel, carries forward the surname's legacy into modern times, albeit intertwined with significant historical developments in the automotive sector.

The trajectory of the Edsel surname—from its noble Germanic roots through various spellings and notable historical figures—illustrates a rich tapestry of social and cultural evolution. Each documented individual with the name, whether a medieval landholder, a Renaissance merchant, or a pivotal figure in industrial history, contributes to the enduring presence of this distinctive surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Edsel

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

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 2000 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Edsel 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.

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

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

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