Edison History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The name Edison literally means "son of Addie" or "son of Addy" from the diminutive of Adam. 1 2 One source believes the name could have meant "the son of Ada or Adda (noble cheer)." 3

Early Origins of the Edison family

The surname Edison was first found in the Northern English and Scottish Borders. It is generally thought that the first record of the name was found on the English side in Yorkshire: John Addisone in 1308. Years later, Robert Addesone was also found in Yorkshire in 1498. 1

Across the border in Scotland, the name was fairly common "in the eastern counties from Linlithgow to Aberdeen." 4 In this case, Alicia relict of quondam Johannes filius Ede de Colly was granted four acres of land on the north side of the town of Colly in 1367. Three years later, William Adison was rector of Luss in 1370 and a few years after that, Gilbert filius Ade was a tenant of the Douglases in the barony of Kylboucho in 1376. 4

Early History of the Edison family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Edison research. Another 177 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1308, 1415, 1430, 1436, 1443, 1449, 1505, 1538, 1580, 1611, 1632, 1672, 1673, 1683, 1684, 1703, 1709 and 1719 are included under the topic Early Edison History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Edison Spelling Variations

The name Edison, appeared in many references, and from time to time, the surname was spelt Addison, Addeson, Addesoun, Adieson, Adison, Edison and many more.

Early Notables of the Edison family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was John Addison (fl. 1538), English divine, a native of the diocese of York, who was admitted to a fellowship at Pembroke Hall, Cambridge, in 1505. 5Joseph Addison (1672-1719), was an English essayist, poet, and statesman, son of Lancelot Addison...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Edison Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Edison Ranking

In the United States, the name Edison is the 5,750^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 6 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Edison is ranked the 425^th most popular surname with an estimated 110 people with that name. 7

Migration of the Edison family to Ireland

Some of the Edison family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Edison migration to Canada +

The New World beckoned as many of the settlers in Ireland, known as the Scotch/Irish, became disenchanted. They sailed aboard the armada of sailing ships known as the "White Sails" which plied the stormy Atlantic. Some called them, less romantically, the "coffin ships." Amongst the early settlers who could be considered kinsmen of the Edison family, or who bore a variation of the surname Edison were

Edison Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. John Edison U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Edison (post 1700) +

Harry "Sweets" Edison (1915-1999), American jazz trumpeter and member of the Count Basie Orchestra
Charles Edison (1890-1969), son of Thomas Edison, 42nd Governor of New Jersey
Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931), American Inventor who invented an improved printing telegraph, patented over 1300 inventions
Peregrine M. Edison, American politician, Mayor of Fort Gratiot, Michigan, 1891 9
Lisa K. Edison, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from North Dakota, 1980 9
Isaac C. Edison, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Broome County, 1886-87 9
F. W. Edison, American politician, Mayor of Lorain, Ohio, 1876, 1877, 1884-86 9
Deborah Denise Edison, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Kansas, 1972 9
Charles G. Edison, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Texas, 1952, 1956 9
Charles A. Edison, American politician, Candidate for Mayor of Tampa, Florida, 1991 9
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
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)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 29) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html