Let's dig a little deeper in to the origins of the Edwardson surname in England:

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Where does it come from?

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As explained in Edwardson in History in 5 Facts, Edwardson is the 'full' version of the surname Edwards, but it is markedly more rare. Now, we know that patronymic names ending in 'son', rather than just 's' were (and still often are) much more common in the north of England than the south. Of course, where the 'south' ends and the 'north' begins is an age old debate, but broadly speaking the 'north' is the area shown in red on the map to the right, which includes Lancashire and Cheshire. 

 

The prevalence of 'son' surnames in the north is often touted as an indicator of Scandinavian cultural influence enduring in the region - but surnames became fixed several centuries after the end of the Viking Age. It would have been quite something for Norse naming traditions to have survived amongst Scandinavian-descended families for that long...

 

The earliest substantial records of the surname Edwardson, in the 1500s, find the name strongly centred in Lancashire, in England's North-West, with a few outliers elsewhere. To illustrate, below is a breakdown of mentions of the surname Edwardson, in the 1500s, by county: 

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​The deduction is clear - even accounting for a few transcription errors and missing records, Lancashire, with about 3/4 of the total mentions, must have been the Edwardson epicentre. Throughout the succeeding centuries, Lancashire remains the county with the most Edwardsons. As such, it seems reasonable to suggest that the Edwardson name originated in Lancashire.

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We of course can't discount the possibility that the name Edwardson also originated independently elsewhere in England - the smattering of Edwardsons in other counties could be due to this, and/or limited migration from Lancashire. But the predominance of Lancashire in the records, coupled with the fact that 'son' names all seem heavily weighted towards the north of England, points towards a Lancashire origin. And if there were multiple origins of the name, then it seems without doubt that there were more originators in Lancashire than anywhere else.

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When did it begin?

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As discussed in Edwardson History in 5 Facts, English surnames became fixed gradually between the 1200s and 1400s. This took place for administrative purposes - allowing families to be recorded consistently, and providing for better management of taxation, inheritance, etc.

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Surnames may have become fixed somewhat later in the north than they did in the south, due to the greater distance from centralised authority and, possibly, the persistence of Scandinavian patronymic traditions. They may also have remained somewhat fluid (more easily changeable) into the 1500s. However it is widely accepted that by 1450 the vast majority of people in England had a fixed surname. And the first reliable evidence of Edwardson as a surname seems to come from the 1430s (see below). As such, the fixed surname Edwardson likely dates back to at least the early 1400s, if not earlier.

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What's in a name?

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The given name Edward derives from the Anglo-Saxon name Ēadweard, composed of the elements: 'ēad' - "wealth, fortunate; prosperous"; and 'weard' - "guardian, protector”.

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Edward was a name of Kings in the Anglo-Saxon period, such as Edward the Confessor (reigned. 1042 - 1066). But like most Anglo-Saxon names, its popularity probably declined after the Norman Conquest in 1066, when the Norman and French names of England's new masters started to seep down to all social levels. However, the name saw a resurgence when King Henry III named his son Edward in honor of Edward the Confessor, of whose cult he was a strong adherent. Once his son ascended the throne as Edward I in 1272, the name regained popularity amongst all social strata. Edward I (r. 1272 - 1307) was followed by Edward II (r. 1307 - 1327) and Edward III (1327 - 1377). For 105 years, the King of England was always called Edward. This would have lead to legions of English boys bearing the name, as the name of the monarch was always a popular trend setter. 

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This was exactly the time during which surnames were becoming fixed, meaning that huge numbers of men could have had their family name solidified as 'Edward's son'. So the mystery is - why aren't there more people called Edwardson? The short answer is that Edwards just seems to have been a much more popular variant, and that generally fewer people in the north were called Edward. The long answer is something which we will get around to examining separately, in due course!​

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Right - but what were the earliest mentions of the surname? What can they tell us?​​

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The earliest record of a person named Edwardson in the 1500s is that of a William Edwardson in 1503. He was a Chaplain at the parish church of Smallhythe, Kent. He seems to be the only Edwardson mentioned in Kent throughout the whole of the 1500s. This suggests that the surname was not based in the county, and that William was from elsewhere - to learn how he might have ended up in Kent, read his story.

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References to Edwardson before 1500 are scarce. ​According to the medieval military record database www.medievalsoldier.org, a Robert Edwardson and a Raulyn Edwardson served as archers with English armies in France during the 1430s and 1440s—at a time when the tide of the Hundred Years’ War was turning against England. The original records are not available, but if the transcription on the database is accurate, it confirms that the surname was already established by the mid-1400s.

Longbowmen of this period typically came from the yeomanry or free peasantry, meaning Robert and Raulyn were lower class but above the level of unfree serfs. Since English longbowmen disproportionately came from northern counties, and given that Edwardsons appear strongly rooted in Lancashire a century later, it is reasonable to assume these men came from that county. This further supports the argument that the Edwardson surname originated in Lancashire. Whether Robert and Raulyn survived their service in France remains unknown - read their story here.

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Are there any even older mentions of the surname?

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The short answer is, we don't really know yet. We would need to examine early sources such as the Poll Tax Records (1377–1381); Mediaeval Manorial Rolls; and Parish Registers of the 1300/1400s. These very early sources are not generally available online, and will likely require in-person examination - if indeed they can viewed at all.

 

At least one website does claims a couple of very early references to the name, asserting that:

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• 1166: A record from the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire mentions a Robertus Edwardissone

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• 1273: The Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire list a Geoffrey Edwardson as a landholder

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These could be exciting finds if verified, but as it stands, they remain intriguing possibilities rather than firm evidence The original records are not available, and the dates are very early indeed. To accept them we would need corroborating evidence. Even if we were to take them as accurate transcriptions, these two men would have lived when surnames were only just beginning to become fixed - therefore they might simply be sons of men called Edward, rather than holders of the fixed surname. On the other hand, early mentions of the name in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire would not, necessarily, be inconsistent with the strongly northern picture which we see in later centuries - they could easily have been migrants from Lancashire, or represent separate originations of the name in northern England. But we can't put very much stock in them as it stands.

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Ultimately, more research is required before we can establish, with confidence, the earliest mention of the surname Edwardson. But the earliest available mentions support the conclusion that Lancashire is the most likely point of origin for the surname.

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Can DNA tell us anything?

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When written records fail us, we can turn to the chronicle carried in our own blood - DNA. Fortunately, we also carry it in our saliva—allowing for a less daunting way of testing it! If enough Edwardsons take a Y-DNA test, we may be able to determine whether we share a common ancestor, maybe within historical times, as explained here. If we can cross reference that with information from various Edwardson family trees, then we might be able to learn some fascinating things - such as whether all English Edwardsons share a genetic surname (haplogroup) as well as a traditional one, or if we all have genetically diverse origins. Should the results show genetic diversity, it could suggest that multiple families independently adopted the surname. But if they reveal a single paternal lineage, it might indicate that all Edwardsons descend from one individual—perhaps an original 'Edward'—which could explain the name’s rarity. 

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Some Edwardsons have the Y-DNA marker R-DF95, which is assessed to have originated in Scandinavia or Northern Germany around 700 BCE. In Britain, this marker has been speculatively linked to Anglo-Saxon and/or Norse ancestry. We shouldn't read too much in to this - but we know that Anglo-Saxons settled heavily in Lancashire from the 600s onwards - and that the Norse also colonised the region two centuries later. The place names near Widnes and Kirkham are of mixed Anglo-Saxon and Norse heritage, indicating the lasting influence of both peoples. As such, the Edwardson paternal line / lines could feasibly descend from either people. Or it could have come to Lancashire from another part of the country before records begin. While we can't determine this with certainty, further testing may help us uncover more about the Edwardson lineage.​

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This is a fascinating area of research, but to draw meaningful conclusions, we need more Edwardsons to participate in DNA testing. If you are an Edwardson, you can help uncover the genetic history of our name.

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Conclusion​​​

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A definitive conclusion remains out of reach. The evidence is patchy, and full of variables. Before we assert any origin stories with confidence, we need more evidence. However, from the information which we have considered above, we can make...well...let's call it a tentative theory: 

 

The Edwardson surname most likely originated in Lancashire between the 1270s and 1420s—perhaps among just a handful of families, or even a single founding lineage. These early Edwardsons were likely yeomen or free peasants, living near Widnes and/or Kirkham, with some serving as longbowmen in wartime. They may have been of Anglo-Saxon or Norse descent in the paternal line - though more testing is needed.

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That's the best origin story which we can propose...for now. But there’s still more to uncover. If you have insights, family records, or DNA connections that could shed light on the Edwardson name, get in touch—we can only solve the puzzle together!

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