2000
#4,565
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.64
Uncommon Last name
Aldana
A Spanish surname referring to someone who lived near an alder tree grove or in a place called Aldana.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,291 Americans carry the last name Aldana. That puts it at #3,536 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 30,356 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Aldana 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
11K
1 in 30,356
Census rank
#3,536
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.8K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,846 bearers of the surname Aldana in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3536th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Aldana, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Aldana
The surname Aldana has its origins in the Basque region of Spain and France, dating back to the early medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Basque word "aldana," meaning "near the farmstead" or "near the village." The name may have initially been used to identify individuals who lived in close proximity to a particular settlement or agricultural area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Aldana can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías, a medieval census document compiled in the 14th century during the reign of King Pedro I of Castile. This document listed several individuals bearing the name Aldana, suggesting that the surname was already well-established by that time.
The Aldana surname has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One prominent figure was Juan de Aldana y Noroña (c. 1530-1595), a Spanish military commander who served as the Governor of the Philippines from 1593 to 1595. He played a crucial role in defending the islands against Japanese and Chinese pirate attacks.
Another notable bearer of the Aldana name was Francisco de Aldana (c. 1537-1578), a renowned Spanish poet and soldier during the Renaissance period. His poetry, which often reflected on themes of war and spirituality, earned him recognition as one of the most significant poets of the Golden Age of Spanish literature.
In the 18th century, José Aldana y Guevara (1757-1828) was a Spanish military officer and politician who served as the Viceroy of Rio de la Plata (present-day Argentina and Uruguay) from 1811 to 1812. He played a significant role in the Spanish American wars of independence.
The Aldana surname can also be found in various place names, such as Aldana del Rey, a municipality in the province of Ciudad Real, Spain, and Aldana de Ebro, a municipality in the province of Burgos, Spain. These place names likely derived from individuals bearing the Aldana surname who were associated with or resided in those locations.
Another notable individual with the Aldana surname was Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda y Arteaga (1814-1873), a Cuban-born Spanish romantic poet and novelist. She was one of the most influential writers of her time and is considered a pioneer of feminist literature in Spanish.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aldana
Among Census respondents with the surname Aldana, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Aldana 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 Aldana surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.4% · 8,805
- White5.2% · 510
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.8% · 371
- Black or African American0.8% · 78
- Two or more races0.7% · 67
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Aldana
Aldana 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
#3,448
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,362
+3,234 bearers (+45.4%)
Per 100,000 3.51
Rank movement Up 1,117 places
2020
#3,536
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,846
-516 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 3.29
Rank movement Down 88 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,565 | 7,128 | 2.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,448 | 10,362 | 3.51 | +3,234 bearers (+45.4%) | Up 1,117 places |
| 2020 | #3,536 | 9,846 | 3.29 | -516 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 88 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 Aldana 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 | #3,448 | #3,536 | -2.6% |
| Count | 10,362 | 9,846 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 3.51 | 3.29 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Aldana bearers went from 10,362 to 9,846 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 88 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,448 to #3,536.
FAQ
Aldana surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Aldana?
Name Census estimates that about 11,291 living Americans carry the surname Aldana. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 30,356 residents.
How common is Aldana?
Aldana ranks #3,536 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.29 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,846 people with the surname Aldana. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,291), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.29 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Aldana.
Has Aldana become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Aldana went from 10,362 recorded bearers to 9,846. That is a decrease of 516 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,448 to #3,536.
What does the Census say about the background of Aldana?
Among Census respondents with the surname Aldana, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.4%. The next largest groups are White (5.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Aldana in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (8,805 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Aldana appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.4%), White (5.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%). 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 Aldana (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 Aldana mean?
A Spanish surname referring to someone who lived near an alder tree grove or in a place called Aldana. 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 Aldana (3.29 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 common is the surname Aldana?
Find out how many people are called Aldana on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.