Find out how popular the last name Adler is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Adler.

Adler, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Adler surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Adler in America

Adler is the 2223rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Adler surname appeared 16,412 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Adler.

We can also compare 2010 data for Adler to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Adler

The surname Adler is of German origin, derived from the German word "Adler," which means "eagle." The name likely emerged in the Middle Ages, possibly during the 12th or 13th century, as a surname denoting a person's occupation or personal characteristic.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Adler can be traced back to various regions of Germany, such as Bavaria, Saxony, and Westphalia. It is believed that the name was initially associated with individuals who worked with eagles, such as falconers or those who trained or kept eagles as hunting companions.

In some cases, the name Adler may have also been bestowed upon individuals who exhibited traits reminiscent of an eagle, such as strength, bravery, or keen eyesight. Alternatively, it could have been given to someone who lived near an area known for its eagle population or had an eagle symbol as part of their family crest or coat of arms.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Adler can be found in the 14th-century Stadtbuch (city book) of Nuremberg, which mentions an individual named Konrad Adler in the year 1349. Another notable early reference is from the 15th century, where a Johannes Adler is mentioned in the Chronica Regia Coloniensis, a chronicle of Cologne.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Adler. One such figure was Alfred Adler (1870-1937), an Austrian medical doctor and psychologist who founded the school of individual psychology. Another prominent Adler was Mortimer J. Adler (1902-2001), an American philosopher, educator, and author known for his work on the Great Books of the Western World.

Other notable individuals with the surname Adler include Felix Adler (1851-1933), a German-American professor and founder of the Ethical Culture movement, and Cyrus Adler (1863-1940), an American Semitic scholar and educator who served as the president of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.

In the realm of literature, the name Adler is associated with Renata Adler (1938-), an American author and critic known for her novels and non-fiction works.

While the surname Adler has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and has become a recognized surname in various countries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Adler

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Adler.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Adler was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Adler has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Adler was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Adler, please contact us.

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