2000
#7,851
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,911
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.45
Rare Last name
Edson
Derived from the Old English personal name "Eadwine," meaning "prosperous friend" or "rich friend."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,344 Americans carry the last name Edson. That puts it at #8,367 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 78,903 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Edson 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 Edson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 78,903
Census rank
#8,367
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,788 bearers of the surname Edson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8367th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Edson, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Edson
Among Census respondents with the surname Edson, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Edson 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 Edson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 3,406
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 161
- Two or more races3.4% · 130
- Black or African American1.1% · 43
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Edson
Edson 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
#8,455
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,906
-5 bearers (-0.1%)
Per 100,000 1.32
Rank movement Down 604 places
2020
#8,367
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,788
-118 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Up 88 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,851 | 3,911 | 1.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,455 | 3,906 | 1.32 | -5 bearers (-0.1%) | Down 604 places |
| 2020 | #8,367 | 3,788 | 1.27 | -118 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 88 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 Edson 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 | #8,455 | #8,367 | 1.0% |
| Count | 3,906 | 3,788 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.32 | 1.27 | -4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Edson bearers went from 3,906 to 3,788 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 88 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,455 to #8,367.
FAQ
Edson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Edson?
Name Census estimates that about 4,344 living Americans carry the surname Edson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 78,903 residents.
How common is Edson?
Edson ranks #8,367 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.27 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 3,788 people with the surname Edson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,344), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.27 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 Edson.
Has Edson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Edson went from 3,906 recorded bearers to 3,788. That is a decrease of 118 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,455 to #8,367.
What does the Census say about the background of Edson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Edson, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Edson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (3,406 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Edson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Edson (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 Edson mean?
Derived from the Old English personal name "Eadwine," meaning "prosperous friend" or "rich friend." 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 Edson (1.27 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 common is the surname Edson?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Edson at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.