2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Aldave
A Basque surname derived from the word "aldabe," meaning "hillside" or "slope."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 295 Americans carry the last name Aldave. That puts it at #79,808 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,161,879 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Aldave 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
295
1 in 1,161,879
Census rank
#79,808
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
257
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 257 bearers of the surname Aldave in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 79808th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Aldave, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 73.5%. The next largest groups are White (11.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (11.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Aldave
The surname Aldave originates from the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France. It is derived from the Basque words "alde" meaning side or slope, and "aue" meaning meadow or pasture. This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived on the slope of a meadow or pasture.
The earliest known record of the Aldave surname dates back to the 12th century in the village of Aldave, located in Navarre, Spain. This village name is believed to be the source of the surname. In the medieval era, it was common for people to adopt surnames based on the place they were from.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Aldave surname appears in a 13th-century document from the Kingdom of Navarre, which mentions a landowner named Juan de Aldave. This suggests that the name had already established itself as a prominent surname in the region by that time.
In the 16th century, the Aldave family played a significant role in the political and military affairs of the Basque region. Juan Aldave (1520-1587) was a notable military leader who fought in various battles against the French during the Navarrese War of Independence.
Another prominent figure with the Aldave surname was Pedro de Aldave (1570-1638), a Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied several expeditions to the Americas. He is credited with mapping parts of the Pacific coast of Mexico and establishing settlements in what is now California.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Aldave surname spread beyond the Basque region as members of the family migrated to other parts of Spain and its colonies in the Americas. One notable individual from this period was Ignacio de Aldave (1675-1741), a Spanish military officer who served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 1735 to 1741.
In the 19th century, the Aldave surname gained wider recognition with the birth of Manuel Aldave (1810-1880), a celebrated Chilean poet and writer. His works, which often explored themes of nature and rural life, played a significant role in shaping the literary landscape of Chile.
Throughout its history, the Aldave surname has maintained a strong presence in the Basque region and has also been carried to various parts of the world through migration and exploration. While its origins can be traced back to a specific village in Navarre, the name has become a part of the cultural heritage of multiple countries and communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aldave
Among Census respondents with the surname Aldave, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 73.5%. The next largest groups are White (11.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (11.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Aldave 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 Aldave surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino73.5% · 189
- White11.3% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander11.3% · 29
- Two or more races2.7% · 7
- Black or African American1.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Aldave
Aldave 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
#95,545
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 191
+83 bearers (+76.9%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 46,243 places
2020
#79,808
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 257
+66 bearers (+34.6%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 15,737 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #95,545 | 191 | 0.06 | +83 bearers (+76.9%) | Up 46,243 places |
| 2020 | #79,808 | 257 | 0.09 | +66 bearers (+34.6%) | Up 15,737 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 Aldave 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 | #95,545 | #79,808 | 16.5% |
| Count | 191 | 257 | 34.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.09 | 43.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Aldave bearers went from 191 to 257 (+34.6% change). The surname moved up 15,737 positions in the national ranking, going from #95,545 to #79,808.
FAQ
Aldave surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Aldave?
Name Census estimates that about 295 living Americans carry the surname Aldave. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,161,879 residents.
How common is Aldave?
Aldave ranks #79,808 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 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 257 people with the surname Aldave. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (295), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 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 Aldave.
Has Aldave become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Aldave went from 191 recorded bearers to 257. That is an increase of 66 (+34.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #95,545 to #79,808.
What does the Census say about the background of Aldave?
Among Census respondents with the surname Aldave, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 73.5%. The next largest groups are White (11.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (11.3%). 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 Aldave in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.5% (189 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Aldave appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (73.5%), White (11.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (11.3%). 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 Aldave (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 Aldave mean?
A Basque surname derived from the word "aldabe," meaning "hillside" or "slope." 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 Aldave (0.09 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 Aldave?
You can see how many people have the last name Aldave on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.