NameCensus.

UK surname

Edwards

Of English and Welsh origin, derived from the given name Edward, meaning "wealthy guardian" or "prosperous guardian."

In the 1881 census there were 83,319 people recorded with the Edwards surname, ranking it #23 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 119,645, ranked #18, up from #23 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), London parishes and Merthyr Tydfil. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Gwynedd, Wrexham and Ceredigion.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Edwards is 123,923 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 43.6%.

1881 census count

83,319

Ranked #23

Modern count

119,645

2016, ranked #18

Peak year

1999

123,923 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Edwards had 83,319 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #23 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 119,645 in 2016, ranked #18.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 110,416 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Edwards surname distribution map

The map shows where the Edwards surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Edwards surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Edwards over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 55,268 #24
1861 historical 54,651 #26
1881 historical 83,319 #23
1891 historical 88,713 #23
1901 historical 103,478 #22
1911 historical 110,416 #20
1997 modern 117,309 #18
1998 modern 122,956 #18
1999 modern 123,923 #18
2000 modern 123,060 #18
2001 modern 120,195 #18
2002 modern 122,766 #18
2003 modern 119,897 #18
2004 modern 119,435 #18
2005 modern 117,359 #18
2006 modern 117,125 #18
2007 modern 118,044 #18
2008 modern 118,584 #18
2009 modern 121,552 #18
2010 modern 123,613 #19
2011 modern 121,411 #19
2012 modern 118,974 #18
2013 modern 121,122 #18
2014 modern 121,829 #18
2015 modern 120,280 #18
2016 modern 119,645 #18

Geography

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Where Edwards' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), London parishes, Merthyr Tydfil and Bedwelty. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Gwynedd, Wrexham and Ceredigion. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos) Glamorganshire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Merthyr Tydfil Glamorganshire
5 Bedwelty Monmouthshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Gwynedd 015 Gwynedd
2 Wrexham 006 Wrexham
3 Wrexham 019 Wrexham
4 Ceredigion 011 Ceredigion
5 Wrexham 020 Wrexham

Forenames

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First names often paired with Edwards

These lists show first names that appear often with the Edwards surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Edwards

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Edwards, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Edwards surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Edwards household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Edwards is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Edwards is most concentrated in decile 6 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Edwards falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Edwards is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Edwards, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

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.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Edwards families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Edwards surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 8,248 Edwards' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.01x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 8,248 1.01x
Lancashire 7,112 0.74x
Glamorgan 5,170 3.65x
Surrey 4,576 1.15x
Staffordshire 4,173 1.52x
Denbighshire 3,900 12.68x
Shropshire 3,830 5.44x
Warwickshire 2,462 1.20x
Kent 2,415 0.87x
Cheshire 2,293 1.28x
Monmouthshire 2,273 3.86x
Yorkshire 1,918 0.24x
Flintshire 1,915 8.75x
Cardiganshire 1,729 8.71x
Merionethshire 1,716 11.52x
Gloucestershire 1,689 1.06x
Worcestershire 1,588 1.49x
Devon 1,525 0.90x
Somerset 1,481 1.13x
Sussex 1,481 1.08x
Caernarfonshire 1,460 4.43x
Carmarthenshire 1,376 4.01x
Montgomeryshire 1,376 7.38x
Norfolk 1,172 0.94x
Pembrokeshire 1,105 4.27x
Essex 1,096 0.68x
Cornwall 1,064 1.15x
Hampshire 968 0.58x
Herefordshire 944 2.83x
Wiltshire 808 1.12x
Suffolk 769 0.78x
Anglesey 710 4.92x
Durham 705 0.29x
Hertfordshire 579 1.03x
Derbyshire 542 0.43x
Brecknockshire 530 3.26x
Berkshire 480 0.79x
Cambridgeshire 477 0.93x
Angus 434 0.58x
Lincolnshire 415 0.32x
Leicestershire 405 0.45x
Buckinghamshire 401 0.81x
Radnorshire 390 5.94x
Dorset 382 0.71x
Nottinghamshire 377 0.34x
Northamptonshire 334 0.44x
Oxfordshire 304 0.60x
Northumberland 263 0.22x
Aberdeenshire 255 0.34x
Lanarkshire 251 0.10x
Midlothian 245 0.22x
Bedfordshire 184 0.44x
Huntingdonshire 175 1.08x
Cumberland 166 0.24x
Perthshire 128 0.35x
Morayshire 99 0.78x
Channel Islands 71 0.29x
Renfrewshire 71 0.11x
Royal Navy 68 0.70x
Fife 48 0.10x
Kincardineshire 45 0.45x
Rutland 38 0.64x
Banffshire 35 0.21x
West Lothian 32 0.26x
Ayrshire 29 0.05x
Isle of Man 26 0.17x
Kirkcudbrightshire 25 0.21x
Stirlingshire 24 0.08x
Argyllshire 21 0.09x
Wigtownshire 16 0.15x
Westmorland 14 0.08x
Dunbartonshire 11 0.05x
Inverness-shire 7 0.03x
Clackmannanshire 5 0.07x
Selkirkshire 4 0.05x
Dumfriesshire 3 0.02x
Sutherland 3 0.05x
Berwickshire 1 0.01x
East Lothian 1 0.01x
Kinross-shire 1 0.05x
Ross-shire 1 0.00x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Islington London in Middlesex leads with 945 Edwards' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.20x.

Place Total Index
Islington London 945 1.20x
Birmingham 869 1.27x
Aston 788 1.39x
St Pancras London 765 1.17x
Liverpool 724 1.23x
Lambeth 690 0.97x
Ruabon 661 15.63x
Merthyr Tydfil 652 4.78x
Ystradyfodwg 643 5.17x
Camberwell 609 1.17x
Toxteth Park 606 1.85x
Everton 536 1.74x
Stoke Upon Trent 516 1.77x
Aberdare 492 5.06x
West Derby 486 1.72x
Wolverhampton 483 2.29x
St Marylebone London 451 1.04x
Bedwellty 445 4.28x
Hackney London 431 0.94x
Kensington London 423 0.93x
Manchester 414 0.95x
Shoreditch London 381 1.08x
Bethnal Green London 358 1.01x
Salford 344 1.21x
Paddington London 339 1.13x
Battersea 328 1.09x
West Ham 324 0.91x
Swansea Town 320 2.75x
Llanelly 318 4.11x
Holywell 299 10.88x
Birkenhead 297 2.07x
Newington 295 0.98x
Dudley 286 2.21x
Kirkdale 283 1.74x
Mile End Old Town London 283 1.63x
Brighton 279 1.01x
Clerkenwell London 272 1.42x
Deptford St Paul 262 1.22x
Chelsea London 257 1.05x
Festiniog 255 8.11x
Aberystwith 250 14.62x
St George Hanover Square 249 1.74x
Llanwonno 245 4.81x
Hulme 221 1.10x
Tipton 221 2.63x
Mold 220 11.08x
Bermondsey 211 0.87x
Gelligaer 203 6.27x
Llanbeblig 203 6.08x
Southwark St George Martyr 201 1.23x
West Bromwich 200 1.27x
Bersham 194 14.79x
Trevethin 190 3.42x
Aberystruth 189 3.64x
Brymbo 189 17.65x
Portsea 188 0.57x
Kidderminster Borough 178 2.86x
Plymouth St Andrew 178 1.36x
Hammersmith London 176 0.88x
Llantrisant 175 4.90x
Hope 174 15.98x
Oswestry Town 172 7.64x
Croydon 168 0.76x
Broughton 165 13.65x
Walsall Foreign 165 1.16x
Bangor 163 5.13x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 159 1.06x
Sedgley 159 1.56x
Oswestry Rural 157 14.57x
Mynyddyslwyn 155 6.68x
Wrexham Regis 154 6.74x
Kings Norton 153 1.60x
Kingswinford 152 1.52x
Roath 152 2.36x
St Martin 151 19.20x
Tonbridge 151 1.51x
Bromley London 150 0.84x
Wellington 149 3.77x
Llanllechid 148 6.39x
Godalming 146 5.85x
Rhuddlan 146 7.58x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Edwards surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 5,925
Elizabeth 3,722
Sarah 2,883
Jane 2,009
Ann 1,706
Margaret 1,462
Eliza 1,173
Ellen 1,131
Emma 1,059
Alice 988
Annie 984
Emily 843
Hannah 788
Martha 763
Anne 701
Catherine 643
Louisa 536
Harriet 519
Maria 503
Edith 414
Caroline 409
Fanny 409
Charlotte 399
Florence 387
Ada 315
Kate 291
Clara 286
Frances 260
Susan 248
Lucy 247
Agnes 236
Harriett 216
Amelia 211
Eleanor 194
Esther 194
Elizth. 185
Rose 185
Rachel 161
Rebecca 160
Matilda 147
Sophia 140
Amy 139
Minnie 137
Susannah 137
Jessie 136
Gertrude 126
Laura 123
Julia 120
Ethel 119
Lydia 118

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Edwards surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 5,334
William 5,029
Thomas 3,263
George 2,240
James 1,926
Edward 1,736
Henry 1,428
Charles 1,332
David 1,159
Joseph 1,113
Richard 1,092
Robert 1,054
Alfred 713
Samuel 694
Arthur 685
Frederick 562
Walter 503
Albert 474
Evan 405
Harry 342
Herbert 300
Edwin 283
Ernest 250
Frank 250
Benjamin 246
Daniel 239
Wm. 233
Hugh 223
Thos. 204
Francis 188
Lewis 174
Isaac 146
Owen 143
Peter 127
Stephen 109
Morgan 87
Griffith 85
Geo. 81
Fred 79
Rees 77
Sidney 76
Richd. 73
Edmund 70
Jno. 68
Percy 65
Chas. 59
Fredrick 59
Ellis 58
Fredk. 56
Jesse 56

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Edwards households.

FAQ

Edwards surname: questions and answers

How common was the Edwards surname in 1881?

In 1881, 83,319 people were recorded with the Edwards surname. That placed it at #23 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Edwards surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 119,645 in 2016. That gives Edwards a modern rank of #18.

What does the Edwards surname mean?

Of English and Welsh origin, derived from the given name Edward, meaning "wealthy guardian" or "prosperous guardian."

What does the Edwards map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Edwards bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.