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

Edward, 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 Edward surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Edward in America

Edward is the 7446th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Edward surname appeared 4,473 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Edward.

We can also compare 2010 data for Edward 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 Edward

The surname EDWARD is of English origin, deriving from the Old English words "ead" meaning "prosperous" or "rich" and "weard" meaning "guard" or "protector." It was initially a given name that later became adopted as a surname.

The earliest known record of the name EDWARD dates back to the late 9th century, when it was borne by King Edward the Elder, who reigned over the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex from 899 to 924 AD. The name appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive record of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror.

During the Middle Ages, the surname EDWARD was particularly prevalent in the counties of Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Wiltshire in the southwest of England. It was often spelled as "Edwardes" or "Edwarde" in early records.

One notable bearer of the EDWARD surname was John EDWARD (1637-1716), an English pirate and privateer who operated in the Caribbean and became infamous for his exploits against Spanish shipping. Another prominent figure was Thomas EDWARD (1778-1857), a Scottish naturalist and writer known for his influential work "A Voyage Up the River Amazon."

In the literary world, the EDWARD surname was borne by Thomas EDWARD (1569-1624), an English philosopher and author who wrote extensively on religious and philosophical topics. Additionally, George EDWARD (1694-1773) was an English clergyman and author who published several works on theology and church history.

Moving into the 19th century, Charles EDWARD (1823-1896) was a British architect who designed numerous buildings in London, including the Royal School of Mines and the Freemasons' Hall. Lastly, Alfred EDWARD (1844-1932) was a prominent English entomologist and lepidopterist, known for his extensive research and collections of butterflies and moths.

These are just a few examples of notable individuals who bore the surname EDWARD throughout history, highlighting its enduring presence and significance across various fields and regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Edward

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

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

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

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