Show ContentsEdmonson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The roots of the name Edmonson are in the Boernician clans of ancient Scotland. It is derived from the personal name Edmond. Edmonson is a patronymic surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. Many patronyms were formed by a son using his father's personal name as a surname. Others were taken from the names of important religious and secular figures. Members of the Edmonson family settled in Scotland, just following the Norman Conquest of England, in 1066.

Early Origins of the Edmonson family

The surname Edmonson was first found in Edinburghshire, a former county, now part of the Midlothian council area where they held a family seat from very early times and were granted lands by Queen Margaret of Scotland. They take their name from the place name Edmondstone, the tun of Eadmund, near Edinburgh. The name may have been derived from Aedmund filius Forn, one of the witnesses to a charter by Thor filius Swani (c. 1150)1

Early History of the Edmonson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Edmonson research. Another 163 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1070, 1560, 1607, 1622, 1627, 1640, 1654, 1659 and 1712 are included under the topic Early Edmonson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Edmonson Spelling Variations

Scribes in the Middle Ages simply spelled according to sound. The result is an enormous number of spelling variations among names that evolved in that era. Edmonson has been spelled Edmondson, Edmonson, Edminson, Edminston, Edmiston, Edmeston, Edmondon and many more.

Early Notables of the Edmonson family

Notable among the family at this time was Henry Edmondson (1607-1659), an English schoolmaster, entered Queen's College, Oxford in 1622 aged 15. William Edmundson (1627-1712), was an English Quaker whose father was a wealthy yeoman, was born...
Another 36 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Edmonson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Edmonson Ranking

In the United States, the name Edmonson is the 6,552nd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2

Ireland Migration of the Edmonson family to Ireland

Some of the Edmonson family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 91 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Edmonson migration to the United States +

Most of the Boernician-Scottish families who came to North America settled on the eastern seaboard of what would become the United States and Canada. Families who wanted a new order stayed south in the War of Independence, while those who were still loyal to the crown went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In the 20th century, the ancestors of these families have gone on to rediscover their heritage through Clan societies and other patriotic Scottish organizations. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Edmonson or a variant listed above:

Edmonson Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Francis Edmonson, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1796
Edmonson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Thomas G Edmonson, aged 22, who landed in Maryland in 1812 3
  • C J Edmonson, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 3
  • George Edmonson, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1856
  • R. Edmonson, aged 53, who landed in America, in 1892
Edmonson Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Samuel Farish Edmonson, aged 32, who settled in America from St. Anne's on Lea, in 1903
  • Ethel Maud Edmonson, aged 32, who immigrated to the United States from London, England, in 1913
  • Anna Edmonson, aged 33, who landed in America from London, England, in 1913
  • Douglas Wm. Edmonson, aged 3, who immigrated to the United States from London, England, in 1913
  • Edward Edmonson, aged 25, who settled in America, in 1919
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Edmonson migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Edmonson Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • M. Edmonson, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Orleana" in 1839 4
  • Mr. Daniel Edmonson, British Convict who was convicted in Halifax, Nova Scotia for 14 years, transported aboard the "Candahar" on 26th March 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Edmonson (post 1700) +

  • Keith Andre Edmonson (b. 1960), American former professional NBA basketball player
  • Eddie Edmonson (1889-1971), American Major League Baseball player
  • Travis Edmonson (1932-2009), American folk singer
  • Greg Edmonson, award-winning American music composer for television and movies
  • Munro Sterling Edmonson (1924-2002), American linguist and anthropologist
  • Mark Edmonson (b. 1979), English former rugby league footballer who played from 1999 to 2007


The Edmonson Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Virtus auget honorem
Motto Translation: Virtue increases honour.


  1. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  4. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) ORLEANA 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Orleana.htm
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/candahar


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