Show ContentsEdgerton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestors of the name Edgerton date back to the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Edgerton family lived in Egerton, in the county of Cheshire. It is now called Egerton Green. The place-name is derived from the Old English personal name Ecghere and tun, a word which meant enclosure, farm, or settlement, and later came to mean fort, and then town. The name would translate as farm belonging to Ecghere.

Early Origins of the Edgerton family

The surname Edgerton was first found in Cheshire at Egerton Green which dates back to 1259 when it was listed as Eggerton. The place name literally meant "farmstead of a man called Ecghere," from the Old English personal name + "tun." [1] The suffix "green" was added in the 18th century.

There is another local named Egerton or Egerton (St James) in Kent, a parish, in the union of West Ashford, hundred of Calehill. In this latter case, this place dates back to c.1100 when it was listed as Eardingtun and later as Egarditon in 1203. [1]

Some of the family were found in ancient times at Tatton, a township, in the parish of Rosthern, union of Altrincham, hundred of Bucklow. "The seat of the Egertons of Tatton is here. Tatton Park is one of the largest parks in England, and contains from six to seven hundred head of deer. The Egerton family are owners of the entire township." [2]

"By the sea side [in Wallasey, Cheshire] is an ancient mansion denominated Mockbeggar Hall, or more properly, Leasowe Castle, formerly a seat of the Egertons." [2]

"Worsley Hall [in Worsley, Yorkshire], the seat of the Earl of Ellesmere, is a stately modern structure with an elegant portico, erected on an elevated site which overlooks the park-like grounds, and commands a view into seven counties. The old Hall, seated at the northern extremity of the gardens of the present mansion, was successively the residence of the Worsleys, Masseys, Stanleys, Breretons, and Egertons." [2]

Early History of the Edgerton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Edgerton research. Another 138 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1555, 1579, 1617, 1621, 1623, 1626, 1646, 1649, 1654, 1660, 1663, 1673, 1676, 1681, 1685, 1686, 1687, 1695, 1701, 1711, 1717, 1720, 1723, 1744 and 1746 are included under the topic Early Edgerton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Edgerton Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Edgerton are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Edgerton include: Egerton, Edgeton, Edgerton and others.

Early Notables of the Edgerton family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Stephen Egerton (c. 1555-1621), an English priest, born in London, he was a leading Puritan preacher of his time; John Egerton, 1st Earl of Bridgewater KB, PC (1579-1649), an English peer and politician; John Egerton, 2nd Earl of Bridgewater PC (1623-1686), an English nobleman, Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire (1660-1686), Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire and Lancashire (1673-1676); Elizabeth Egerton (née Cavendish), Countess of...
Another 69 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Edgerton Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Edgerton Ranking

In the United States, the name Edgerton is the 6,706th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. [3]


United States Edgerton migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Edgerton or a variant listed above:

Edgerton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Robert Edgerton, aged 28, who landed in Maine in 1812 [4]
  • Alice Edgerton, aged 31, who immigrated to the United States, in 1893
  • Annie Edgerton, aged 35, who settled in America from Armagh, in 1893
  • Charlotte Edgerton, aged 2, who immigrated to the United States, in 1893
  • Ellen Edgerton, aged 6, who immigrated to the United States, in 1893
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Edgerton Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Amalia Edgerton, who landed in America, in 1903
  • Edith Edgerton, aged 26, who landed in America, in 1904
  • J. J. Edgerton, aged 30, who landed in America, in 1905
  • Frank Edgerton, aged 33, who landed in America from Kingston on Thames, in 1907
  • Florence Edgerton, aged 44, who settled in America from Lewisham, England, in 1908
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Edgerton (post 1700) +

  • Nathan Huntley Edgerton (1839-1932), Union Army officer, recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Chaffin's Farm
  • William Albert Edgerton (b. 1941), American retired Major League Baseball pitcher
  • Clyde Edgerton (b. 1944), American author and English literature professor
  • Glen Edgar Edgerton (1887-1956), American Governor of the Panama Canal Zone from 1940 to 1944
  • David R. Edgerton (b. 1928), American entrepreneur and the founder of the Burger King Corporation
  • Sidney Edgerton (1818-1900), American politician
  • Harold Eugene Edgerton (1903-1990), American former professor of electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Chester Edgerton, American politician, Mayor of Fremont, Ohio, 1847 [5]
  • Bela Edgerton, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Clinton County, 1827-29 [5]
  • Alonzo Jay Edgerton (1827-1896), American politician, Member of Minnesota State Senate, 1859-60, 1877-78; U.S. Senator from Minnesota, 1881; Justice of Dakota Territorial Supreme Court, 1882-86 [5]
  • ... (Another 20 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


The Edgerton 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: Virtute non armis fido
Motto Translation: I trust in virtue not arms


  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. 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)
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 29) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


Houseofnames.com on Facebook