2000
#10,591
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,777
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.03
Rare Last name
Aden
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a hill or mountain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,742 Americans carry the last name Aden. That puts it at #5,686 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 50,839 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Aden surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Aden with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.7K
1 in 50,839
Census rank
#5,686
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,879 bearers of the surname Aden in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5686th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Aden, the largest self-reported group is Black at 67.3%. The next largest groups are White (29.3%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Aden
The surname Aden is of German origin, derived from the Old German word "ad" or "at," which means "noble" or "distinguished." It is believed to have originated in the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century, in the region of Bavaria, Germany.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Aden can be found in the Codex Traditionum Corbeiensium, a medieval manuscript dating back to the 9th century. This manuscript mentions a person named Adeno, which could be an early variation of the surname Aden.
During the medieval period, the name Aden was often associated with noble families or individuals of high social status. It is possible that the name originated as a descriptive surname, given to those who were considered noble or distinguished in their communities.
The earliest known bearer of the surname Aden was Johann Aden, a German scholar and theologian who lived from 1457 to 1537. He was a prominent figure in the Protestant Reformation and served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg.
Another notable individual with the surname Aden was Sir Thomas Aden (1591-1655), an English diplomat and politician who served as ambassador to various European courts during the reign of King Charles I.
In the 18th century, the name Aden gained prominence in the United States, where it was often associated with settlers of German descent. One notable American bearer of the name was William Aden (1776-1854), a successful businessman and landowner in Pennsylvania.
The surname Aden has also been linked to various place names, such as Aden, a city in Yemen, and Adenau, a town in the Eifel region of Germany. However, it is unclear whether these place names were derived from the surname or vice versa.
Other notable individuals with the surname Aden include John Aden (1899-1983), an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania, and Hartley Aden (1914-1995), a renowned Australian artist and painter.
Throughout its history, the surname Aden has maintained its connection to its German roots and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, diplomats, politicians, and artists.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aden
Among Census respondents with the surname Aden, the largest self-reported group is Black at 67.3%. The next largest groups are White (29.3%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Aden bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Aden surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American67.3% · 3,954
- White29.3% · 1,722
- Two or more races1.6% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino1.1% · 67
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Aden
Aden appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#7,110
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,705
+1,928 bearers (+69.4%)
Per 100,000 1.60
Rank movement Up 3,481 places
2020
#5,686
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,879
+1,174 bearers (+25.0%)
Per 100,000 1.97
Rank movement Up 1,424 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,591 | 2,777 | 1.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,110 | 4,705 | 1.60 | +1,928 bearers (+69.4%) | Up 3,481 places |
| 2020 | #5,686 | 5,879 | 1.97 | +1,174 bearers (+25.0%) | Up 1,424 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Aden surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #7,110 | #5,686 | 20.0% |
| Count | 4,705 | 5,879 | 25.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.60 | 1.97 | 22.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Aden bearers went from 4,705 to 5,879 (+25.0% change). The surname moved up 1,424 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,110 to #5,686.
FAQ
Aden surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Aden?
Name Census estimates that about 6,742 living Americans carry the surname Aden. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 50,839 residents.
How common is Aden?
Aden ranks #5,686 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.97 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,879 people with the surname Aden. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,742), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.97 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Aden.
Has Aden become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Aden went from 4,705 recorded bearers to 5,879. That is an increase of 1,174 (+25.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,110 to #5,686.
What does the Census say about the background of Aden?
Among Census respondents with the surname Aden, the largest self-reported group is Black at 67.3%. The next largest groups are White (29.3%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Aden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.3% (3,954 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Aden appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (67.3%), White (29.3%), Two or More Races (1.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Aden (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Aden mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a hill or mountain. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Aden (1.97 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Aden?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.