2000
#19,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,248
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.46
Rare Last name
Aldama
A Basque habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "the meadow" or "by the meadow."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,555 Americans carry the last name Aldama. That puts it at #13,154 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 134,150 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Aldama 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
2.6K
1 in 134,150
Census rank
#13,154
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,228 bearers of the surname Aldama in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13154th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Aldama, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aldama
Among Census respondents with the surname Aldama, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Aldama 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 Aldama surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.1% · 2,074
- White4.8% · 108
- Black or African American0.9% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 12
- Two or more races0.4% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Aldama
Aldama 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
#15,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,845
+597 bearers (+47.8%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Up 4,120 places
2020
#13,154
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,228
+383 bearers (+20.8%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Up 2,634 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,908 | 1,248 | 0.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,788 | 1,845 | 0.63 | +597 bearers (+47.8%) | Up 4,120 places |
| 2020 | #13,154 | 2,228 | 0.75 | +383 bearers (+20.8%) | Up 2,634 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 Aldama 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 | #15,788 | #13,154 | 16.7% |
| Count | 1,845 | 2,228 | 20.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.63 | 0.75 | 18.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Aldama bearers went from 1,845 to 2,228 (+20.8% change). The surname moved up 2,634 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,788 to #13,154.
FAQ
Aldama surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Aldama?
Name Census estimates that about 2,555 living Americans carry the surname Aldama. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 134,150 residents.
How common is Aldama?
Aldama ranks #13,154 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,228 people with the surname Aldama. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,555), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Aldama.
Has Aldama become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Aldama went from 1,845 recorded bearers to 2,228. That is an increase of 383 (+20.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,788 to #13,154.
What does the Census say about the background of Aldama?
Among Census respondents with the surname Aldama, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Black (0.9%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Aldama in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (2,074 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Aldama appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.1%), White (4.8%), Black (0.9%). 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 Aldama (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 Aldama mean?
A Basque habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "the meadow" or "by the meadow." 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 Aldama (0.75 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 have the surname Aldama?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.