Contents [hide]

Edward History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Edward History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Wales
Ireland

The Welsh surname Edward was derived from the personal name Edward. This name is in turn derived from the Old English forename "Eadweard," which literally means "prosperity-guard." 1

Early Origins of the Edward family

The surname Edward was first found in Denbighshire (Welsh: Sir Ddinbych), a historic county in Northeast Wales, where they held a family seat from very ancient times. They claim descent from Einion Efell, Lord of Cynlleth, living in 1182, son of Madoc, Prince of Powys, who built Oswestry Castle in 1148.

His father was Madog ap Maredudd who died in 1160 and was the last Prince of the entire Kingdom of Powys, Wales.

"Edwards of Nanhoron descends from one of the royal tribes of Wales through Sir Griffith Lloyd and Sir Howell y Fwyallt; Edwards of Ness Strange descends from Einion Effel, lord of Cynllaeth, co. Montgomery, 1182; Edwards of Old-Court, co. Wicklow, claims from Roderick the Great, king of all Wales in 843, through his younger son, Tudwall Gloff or "the lame," whose descendants settled in Ireland in the XVII. century." 2

Early History of the Edward family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Edward research. Another 202 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1283, 1396, 1597, 1605, 1615, 1620, 1629, 1636, 1648, 1652, 1656, 1664, 1679, 1681, 1686, 1712, 1721, 1751, 1776, 1784, 1808, 1815, 1832 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Edward History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Edward Spelling Variations

Although there are not an extremely large number Welsh surnames, there are an inordinately large number of spelling variations of those surnames. This variety of spellings began almost immediately after the acceptance of surnames within Welsh society. As time progressed, these old Brythonic names were eventually were recorded in English. This process was problematic in that many of the highly inflected sounds of the native language of Wales could not be properly captured in English. Some families, however, did decide to modify their own names to indicate a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even a patriotic affiliation. The name Edward has seen various spelling variations: Edwards, Edward, Edwardes and others.

Early Notables of the Edward family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was

John Edwards (c.1605-1656), a Welsh Anglican priest and translator
Jonathan Edwards (1629-1712), Welsh theologian and Principal of Jesus College, Oxford from 1686 to 1712
Jonathan Edwards (1615-1681), a Welsh clergyman from Stansty, Denbighshire, a Fellow of Jesus College from 1636 to 1648, Archdeacon of Derry (1664-1679)

Edward Ranking

In the United States, the name Edward is the 2,888^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Edward family to Ireland

Some of the Edward family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 235 words (17 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Edward migration to the United States +

In the 1800s and 1900s, many Welsh families left for North America, in search of land, work, and freedom. Those who made the trip successfully helped contribute to the growth of industry, commerce, and the cultural heritage of both Canada and the United States. In the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Edward

Edward Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Ould Edward who arrived at Jamestown, Virginia in 1607 aboard the ship "Discovery"
Walter Edward, who landed in Virginia in 1648 4
John Edward, who arrived in America in 1654-1679 4
Seath Edward, who arrived in Virginia in 1661 4
Tho Edward, who arrived in Virginia in 1666 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Edward Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Edward Edward, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1701-1703 4
Catherine Edward, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1709 4
Arthur Edward, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1710 4
Richard Edward, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1710 4

Edward Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Daniel Edward, who landed in New York in 1812 4
Thomas Edward, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1830 4
William Henry Edward, who arrived in New York in 1842 4
James, Edward Jr., who landed in New York in 1842 4
Magdalena Allardice Edward, who landed in New York in 1842 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Edward migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Edward Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Rose Edward, aged 20, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the schooner "Sarah" from Belfast, Ireland
Jane Edward, aged 18, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the schooner "Sarah" from Belfast, Ireland
Mary Edward, aged 23, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the schooner "Sarah" from Belfast, Ireland

Edward migration to Australia +

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

Edward Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Alexander Edward, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life, transported aboard the "Captain Cook" on 2nd May 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Mr. Richard Edward, (b. 1806), aged 28, English Fuller who was convicted in Lancaster, England for 7 years for burglary, transported aboard the "Henry Tanner" on 27th June 1834, settling in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1895 6
King Miller Edward, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Hindoo" in 1848 7
Mr. Benjamin Edward, (b. 1836), aged 13, Cornish settler departing from London on 17th March 1849 aboard the ship "Elizabeth" arriving in Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia on 23rd July 1849 8
George Edward, aged 18, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Lord Hungerford"

Edward migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Edward Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. James Edward, (b. 1831), aged 28, British farm servant travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Regina" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 4th December 1859 9
Mrs. Janet Edward, (b. 1831), aged 28, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Regina" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 4th December 1859 9
Mr. James Edward, Scottish settler travelling from Clyde aboard the ship "Sir William Eyre" arriving in Bluff, Southland, South Island, New Zealand in April 1863 9
Henry W. Edward, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Portland" in 1864
Charles Edward, aged 22, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Conflict" in 1874
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Edward migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 10

Edward Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Richard Edward, who settled in St. Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1633
Mr. Richard Edward, Cornish settler from St Columb Major (St Vivian), Cornwall, (b. 1606), aged 28, British settler travelling from Plymouth, England aboard the ship "Margarett" arriving in St Christopher (Saint Kitts) on 1st March 1634 11

Contemporary Notables of the name Edward (post 1700) +

Robert Edward III, American businessman, philanthropist, and yachtsman, founder of CNN television in 1980
Donald Edward, American cartoonist for "Mad" magazine
Nelson T. Edward, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from California, 1936 12
J. C. Edward, American politician, Mayor of Texarkana, Arkansas, 1894-96 12
Lincoln Edward Kirstein (1907-1996), American writer, impresario, art connoisseur and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Robert Edward Lee (1807-1870), American and Confederate soldier, best known as a commander of the Confederate States Army
Howard Edward Butt Sr. (1895-1991), American businessman and philanthropist, founder of the HEB grocery store chain
Michael Edward Lonsdale Crouch (1931-2020), known as Michael Lonsdale, French actor who appeared in over 180 films and television shows, known for his roles as the villain Hugo, Drax in the 1979 James Bond film Moonraker, the detective Claude Lebel in The Day of the Jackal, and M. Dupont d'Ivry in The Remains of the Day
George Edward Foreman (b. 1949), American two-time former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Olympic gold medalist, and successful entrepreneur
Mark Edward Loane AM (b. 1954), Australian former rugby union football player, who played 89 games for Queensland and 28 Tests for the Wallabies

Historic Events for the Edward family +

RMS Titanic

Mr. John Samuel Edward, aged 27, Belarusians First Class passenger from Minsk, Belarus who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping in life boat 5 13

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/captain-cook
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/henry-tanner
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HINDOO 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848Hindoo.gif
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_victoria.pdf
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Cornish in the Caribbean (retrieved on 23rd September 2021). Retrieved from https://books.google.ca/books?id=gnSFDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA265&lpg=PA265&dq=wallen+lizard+cornwall&source=bl&ots=ARTnm6uRLv&sig=ACfU3U3ewicUaBkTuwC_Gpr0ic-
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html