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

Edson, 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 Edson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Edson in America

Edson is the 8455th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Edson surname appeared 3,906 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Edson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Edson to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Edson

The surname Edson is believed to have originated in England, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name derived from the Old English words "ēa" meaning "river" and "dūn" meaning "hill" or "down." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a river on a hill or downland area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Edson can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive record of land holdings and population compiled by order of William the Conqueror. In this document, the name appears as "Edessone," reflecting the spelling variations common during that era.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the surname Edson began to appear more frequently in various historical records and documents across different regions of England. Some notable examples include Robert Edeson, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, and John Edson, whose name appears in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1379.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Edson surname was William Edson, born around 1540 in Cranbrook, Kent. He was a prominent figure in the local community and served as a churchwarden at the Cranbrook Parish Church in the late 16th century.

Over the centuries, the Edson surname has been associated with several notable individuals. One such figure was Sir Robert Edson (1608-1668), an English Member of Parliament who represented Colchester in the Long Parliament during the English Civil War. Another notable bearer of the name was Edson Lott (1829-1897), a prominent American politician and judge from Ohio who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives.

Another individual of historical significance was Franklin Milton Edson (1851-1935), an American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Edson Corporation, a successful manufacturing company in Boston, Massachusetts. He was also a major benefactor to various educational institutions, including Tufts University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

In the realm of literature, mention can be made of Jonathan Edson (1726-1804), an American poet and religious writer who authored several notable works, including "Divine Poems" and "A Treatise Concerning the Doctrine of Eternal Misery."

These examples illustrate the widespread presence of the Edson surname throughout history, spanning various professions and areas of influence, from politics and business to literature and philanthropy.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Edson

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

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 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Edson 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.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Edson has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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

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

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