Edney History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Anglo-Saxon name Edney comes from when the family resided in the village of Gedney in the county of Lincolnshire. The place-name is derived from the Old English Gyddan-ea, which literally means Gydda's island. Another source notes the place name probably means "island or well-watered land of a man called Gaeda or Gydda," from the Old English personal name. [1]

Early Origins of the Edney family

The surname Edney was first found in Lincolnshire at Gedney, a village and civil parish in the South Holland district that dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was listed as Gadenai. [2]

"The church [of Gedney] is a beautiful structure, supposed to have been built by the abbots of Crowland, who had large possessions in the parish; it contains 53 windows, those of the north aisle having considerable remains of painted glass." [3]

Today the parish includes the hamlets of Gedney Drove End, Gedney Dyke, Gedney Dawsmere, and Gedney Marsh.

One of the first records of the family was found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, where Hervey de Gedeney was listed in Lincolnshire. [4]

Early History of the Edney family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Edney research. Another 55 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1640, 1698 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Edney History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Edney Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Edney include Gidney, Gibney, Gedney, Gibbney and others.

Early Notables of the Edney family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Bartholomew Gedney (c. 1640-1698), early American merchant, physician, military officer, best known as one of the magistrates in the Salem witchcraft trials

Edney Ranking

In the United States, the name Edney is the 13,301^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [5]

Migration of the Edney family to Ireland

Some of the Edney family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Edney migration to Australia +

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

Edney Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Tobias Edney, (Barnes, Joseph), English convict who was convicted in Bristol, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Fame" on 9th October 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [6]
Mr. Robert Edney, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 22nd September 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [7]
Mr. Joseph Edney, (b. 1800), aged 31, English ploughman who was convicted in Berkshire, England for 14 years for machine breaking, transported aboard the "Eleanor" on 26th June 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [8]
Mr. Robertson Edney, Scottish convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 14 years, transported aboard the "Henry Tanner" on 27th June 1834, settling in New South Wales, Australia [9]

Contemporary Notables of the name Edney (post 1700) +

Admiral Leon Albert "Bud" Edney (b. 1935), retired United States Navy officer and former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic and Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Command
Steve Edney, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1972 [10]
Bailey M. Edney, American politician, U.S. Consul in Pernambuco, 1849-50 [10]
Beatrice Edney (b. 1962), English television actress

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eleanor
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/henry-tanner
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html