2000
#25,466
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 912
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.34
Very Rare Last name
Aderholt
A German occupational surname derived from Middle High German "arzāt" or "arzt," meaning "doctor" or "physician."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 726 Americans carry the last name Aderholt. That puts it at #37,769 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 472,113 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Aderholt 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.
Bearers in the US
726
1 in 472,113
Census rank
#37,769
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
633
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 633 bearers of the surname Aderholt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 37769th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Aderholt, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Aderholt
The surname Aderholt has its origins in Germany, dating back to the late medieval period. The name is derived from the Old German words "Adel" meaning "noble" and "Hold" meaning "loyal" or "true". It is believed to have originated as a descriptive surname, given to individuals who were considered noble and loyal to their lord or ruler.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Aderholt can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. This suggests that the name was prevalent in northern Germany during that time period.
In the 15th century, there are records of an Aderholt family residing in the town of Quedlinburg, located in modern-day Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. This town was known for its rich cultural and religious heritage, having been home to a famous abbey and a center of learning.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Aderholt name appeared in various church records and official documents across northern and central Germany, indicating its widespread use among the German population.
One notable individual bearing the Aderholt surname was Johann Aderholt (1592-1669), a German theologian and pastor who served in the city of Leipzig. He was known for his extensive writings on religious topics and his contributions to the intellectual discourse of his time.
Another prominent figure was Wilhelm Aderholt (1721-1789), a German architect and master builder who was responsible for the construction of several notable buildings in the city of Kassel, including the Fridericianum, a prominent museum and exhibition hall.
In the 19th century, the Aderholt name gained recognition through the work of Karl Aderholt (1827-1903), a German linguist and philologist who made significant contributions to the study of Germanic languages and their historical development.
The surname Aderholt also found its way to other parts of Europe, with records indicating families bearing this name in countries such as the Netherlands and Sweden, likely due to migration and intermarriage.
It is worth noting that variations in spelling, such as Aderholt, Aderholt, and Aderholt, were common during the medieval and early modern periods, reflecting regional dialects and linguistic differences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aderholt
Among Census respondents with the surname Aderholt, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Aderholt 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 Aderholt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 589
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 18
- Two or more races2.8% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 4
- Black or African American0.3% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Aderholt
Aderholt 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
#24,890
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 999
+87 bearers (+9.5%)
Per 100,000 0.34
Rank movement Up 576 places
2020
#37,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 633
-366 bearers (-36.6%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 12,879 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #25,466 | 912 | 0.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #24,890 | 999 | 0.34 | +87 bearers (+9.5%) | Up 576 places |
| 2020 | #37,769 | 633 | 0.21 | -366 bearers (-36.6%) | Down 12,879 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 Aderholt 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 | #24,890 | #37,769 | -51.7% |
| Count | 999 | 633 | -36.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.34 | 0.21 | -37.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Aderholt bearers went from 999 to 633 (-36.6% change). The surname moved down 12,879 positions in the national ranking, going from #24,890 to #37,769.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Aderholt
FAQ
Aderholt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Aderholt?
Name Census estimates that about 726 living Americans carry the surname Aderholt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 472,113 residents.
How common is Aderholt?
Aderholt ranks #37,769 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 633 people with the surname Aderholt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (726), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.21 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Aderholt.
Has Aderholt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Aderholt went from 999 recorded bearers to 633. That is a decrease of 366 (-36.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #24,890 to #37,769.
What does the Census say about the background of Aderholt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Aderholt, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Aderholt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (589 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Aderholt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Aderholt (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 Aderholt mean?
A German occupational surname derived from Middle High German "arzāt" or "arzt," meaning "doctor" or "physician." 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 Aderholt (0.21 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 people are called Aderholt?
Find out how common the surname Aderholt is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.