2000
#53
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 317,070
First available Census row
Per 100,000 117.54
Common Last name
Edwards
Of English and Welsh origin, derived from the given name Edward, meaning "wealthy guardian" or "prosperous guardian."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 368,015 Americans carry the last name Edwards. That puts it at #59 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 107.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 931 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Edwards 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 Edwards with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
368K
1 in 931
Census rank
#59
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
107.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
321K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 320,927 bearers of the surname Edwards in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 107.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 59th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Edwards, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.5%. The next largest groups are Black (30.9%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Edwards
The surname Edwards is of English origin and dates back to the Middle Ages, around the 13th century. It is a patronymic name, derived from the given name Edward, which itself comes from the Old English words "ead" meaning "rich" or "prosperous" and "weard" meaning "guardian" or "protector."
The name Edwards was initially used to denote "son of Edward," a common practice at the time when surnames were becoming hereditary. It first emerged in various parts of England, including the counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Warwickshire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Edwards can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, which mentions a person named John le Edewardes. Additionally, the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, includes references to places with names that may have contributed to the development of the surname, such as Edwardstone in Suffolk.
Notable individuals with the surname Edwards throughout history include:
1. Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), a prominent American theologian, philosopher, and revivalist preacher during the Great Awakening.
2. Amelia Edwards (1831-1892), an English novelist, journalist, and Egyptologist who helped establish the Egyptology department at University College London.
3. George Edwards (1694-1773), an English naturalist and ornithologist known for his influential work "A Natural History of Uncommon Birds."
4. William Edwards (1719-1789), an English botanist and author of "The Botanical Arrangement of All the Vegetables Naturally Growing in Great Britain."
5. Ninian Edwards (1775-1833), an American politician who served as the Governor of Illinois Territory and later as a U.S. Senator.
The name Edwards has also been associated with various place names, such as Edwardstone in Suffolk, mentioned earlier, and Edwardsville, a city in Illinois named after Ninian Edwards. Additionally, variations in spelling, such as Edwardes and Edwarde, were common in earlier times.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Edwards
Among Census respondents with the surname Edwards, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.5%. The next largest groups are Black (30.9%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Edwards 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 Edwards surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.5% · 190,866
- Black or African American30.9% · 99,042
- Two or more races4.8% · 15,390
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 11,218
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 2,289
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 2,122
Timeline
Historical Census data for Edwards
Edwards 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
#58
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 332,423
+15,353 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 112.69
Rank movement Down 5 places
2020
#59
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 320,927
-11,496 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 107.37
Rank movement Down 1 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #53 | 317,070 | 117.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #58 | 332,423 | 112.69 | +15,353 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 5 places |
| 2020 | #59 | 320,927 | 107.37 | -11,496 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 1 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 Edwards 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 | #58 | #59 | -1.7% |
| Count | 332,423 | 320,927 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 112.69 | 107.37 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Edwards bearers went from 332,423 to 320,927 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 1 positions in the national ranking, going from #58 to #59.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Edwards
FAQ
Edwards surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Edwards?
Name Census estimates that about 368,015 living Americans carry the surname Edwards. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 931 residents.
How common is Edwards?
Edwards ranks #59 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 107.37 per 100,000 residents, which is about 107 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 320,927 people with the surname Edwards. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (368,015), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 107.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 107.37 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 107 of them to have the surname Edwards.
Has Edwards become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Edwards went from 332,423 recorded bearers to 320,927. That is a decrease of 11,496 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #58 to #59.
What does the Census say about the background of Edwards?
Among Census respondents with the surname Edwards, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.5%. The next largest groups are Black (30.9%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Edwards in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.5% (190,866 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Edwards appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (59.5%), Black (30.9%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Edwards (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 Edwards mean?
Of English and Welsh origin, derived from the given name Edward, meaning "wealthy guardian" or "prosperous guardian." 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 Edwards (107.37 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 Edwards?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.