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

Aldama, 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 Aldama surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Aldama in America

Aldama is the 15788th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Aldama surname appeared 1,845 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Aldama.

We can also compare 2010 data for Aldama 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 Aldama

The surname Aldama originates from Spain and can be traced back to the 11th century. It is believed to have derived from the Basque words "alde" meaning side and "ama" meaning mother, referring to a person who lived on the side of a hill or mountain. The earliest recorded instances of the name were found in the northern regions of Spain, particularly in the Basque Country and Navarre.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sancho Aldama, a nobleman who lived in the late 12th century. He was mentioned in various medieval records as a prominent landowner in the region of Alava. In the 13th century, the Aldama family gained prominence in the city of Vitoria, where they held influential positions in local governance.

During the 15th and 16th centuries, several members of the Aldama family served as military commanders and diplomats under the Spanish crown. Notable figures include Juan de Aldama (1450-1526), a decorated soldier who participated in the conquest of Granada, and Sebastián de Aldama (1520-1589), a diplomat who represented Spanish interests in the court of the Holy Roman Empire.

In the 17th century, the Aldama lineage expanded to the Americas as a result of Spanish colonization. One of the earliest known bearers of the name in the New World was Pedro de Aldama (1612-1678), a conquistador who participated in the exploration and settlement of parts of present-day Mexico and Texas.

The 19th century saw the rise of several prominent figures with the Aldama surname. Juan Aldama (1774-1811) was a Mexican revolutionary who played a crucial role in the Mexican War of Independence against Spain. He was executed by Spanish authorities in 1811 for his involvement in the uprising. Another notable figure was Ignacio Aldama (1809-1875), a Mexican politician and military leader who served as governor of the state of Chihuahua.

Other historical figures with the Aldama surname include Manuel Aldama (1845-1923), a Mexican lawyer and diplomat who served as ambassador to the United States, and Joaquín Aldama (1872-1948), a Mexican architect and engineer known for his contributions to the development of modern architecture in Mexico.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Aldama

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

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 Aldama 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 Aldama 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 Aldama was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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