2000
#1,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,210
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.97
Uncommon Last name
Edmonds
Derived from the Old English personal name "Eadmund," meaning "rich protector" or "wealthy defender."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 27,564 Americans carry the last name Edmonds. That puts it at #1,444 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,435 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Edmonds 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 Edmonds with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
28K
1 in 12,435
Census rank
#1,444
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
24K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 24,037 bearers of the surname Edmonds in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1444th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Edmonds, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.4%. The next largest groups are Black (32.1%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Edmonds
The surname Edmonds is of English origin and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English personal name Eadmund, which is composed of the elements 'ead', meaning prosperity or fortune, and 'mund', meaning protection.
The name Edmonds is believed to have first appeared in the counties of Middlesex and Essex, which were home to many individuals bearing this surname during the Middle Ages. It is likely that the name originated as a descriptive nickname referring to someone who was particularly prosperous or fortunate.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Edmonds can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1202, which mention a Robert Edmunds. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also contain references to individuals with the surname Edmonds, including Walter Edmunds of Oxfordshire and William Edmunds of Berkshire.
In the 14th century, the name Edmonds began to appear in various historical records and manuscripts, such as the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield from 1348, which mention a John Edmonds. The Poll Tax Returns of 1379 also list several individuals with the surname Edmonds, including Thomas Edmonds of Yorkshire and Richard Edmonds of Cambridgeshire.
One notable figure with the surname Edmonds was Sir Thomas Edmonds (c. 1563-1639), an English diplomat and politician who served as the ambassador to France and the Netherlands during the reign of King James I. Another prominent individual was Sir Clement Edmonds (1567-1622), an English writer and clerk of the Privy Council.
Other notable individuals with the surname Edmonds include:
1. John Edmonds (1599-1670), an English Quaker leader and writer.
2. Walter Edmonds (1903-1998), an American writer and author of historical fiction novels.
3. Cyrus Read Edmonds (1857-1932), an American classical scholar and educator.
4. Walter D. Edmonds (1873-1957), an American journalist and author of historical novels.
5. Franklin Spencer Edmonds (1886-1948), an American painter known for his landscape and genre paintings.
The surname Edmonds has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Edmondsley in County Durham and Edmondsham in Dorset, which likely derived their names from individuals bearing the surname Edmonds who resided in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Edmonds
Among Census respondents with the surname Edmonds, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.4%. The next largest groups are Black (32.1%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Edmonds 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 Edmonds surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White58.4% · 14,027
- Black or African American32.1% · 7,704
- Two or more races5.0% · 1,210
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 783
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 164
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 149
Timeline
Historical Census data for Edmonds
Edmonds 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
#1,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,857
+647 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 8.43
Rank movement Down 93 places
2020
#1,444
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,037
-820 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 8.04
Rank movement Down 12 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,339 | 24,210 | 8.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,432 | 24,857 | 8.43 | +647 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 93 places |
| 2020 | #1,444 | 24,037 | 8.04 | -820 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 12 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 Edmonds 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 | #1,432 | #1,444 | -0.8% |
| Count | 24,857 | 24,037 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 8.43 | 8.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Edmonds bearers went from 24,857 to 24,037 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 12 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,432 to #1,444.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Edmonds
FAQ
Edmonds surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Edmonds?
Name Census estimates that about 27,564 living Americans carry the surname Edmonds. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,435 residents.
How common is Edmonds?
Edmonds ranks #1,444 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 24,037 people with the surname Edmonds. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (27,564), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Edmonds.
Has Edmonds become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Edmonds went from 24,857 recorded bearers to 24,037. That is a decrease of 820 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,432 to #1,444.
What does the Census say about the background of Edmonds?
Among Census respondents with the surname Edmonds, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.4%. The next largest groups are Black (32.1%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Edmonds in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.4% (14,027 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Edmonds appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (58.4%), Black (32.1%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Edmonds (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 Edmonds mean?
Derived from the Old English personal name "Eadmund," meaning "rich protector" or "wealthy defender." 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 Edmonds (8.04 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 Edmonds?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.