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

Alden, 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 Alden surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Alden in America

Alden is the 5985th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Alden surname appeared 5,748 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Alden.

We can also compare 2010 data for Alden 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 Alden

The surname Alden is of Old English origin and is thought to have derived from the Old English word "alor," meaning "alder tree." It may have been a topographic name for someone who lived near an alder tree or a habitation name for someone who lived in a place with an abundance of alders.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Alden can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Aldene." This suggests that the name was already in use by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.

In the 13th century, the surname appears in various records with spellings such as "Aldene," "Aldyn," and "Alde." Over time, the spelling evolved to its modern form of Alden.

One notable bearer of the Alden surname was John Alden, an English Puritan who was one of the founders of the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts. He was a crew member on the Mayflower and was born around 1599 in England. After arriving in America in 1620, he married Priscilla Mullins, who had also traveled on the Mayflower.

Another prominent figure with the Alden surname was John Alden, Jr., the son of the aforementioned John Alden. He was born in Plymouth Colony in 1622 and became a prominent figure in the colony's government, serving as a deputy to the General Court and as a magistrate.

In the 18th century, Joseph Alden (1701-1779) was a notable figure from Bridgewater, Massachusetts. He served as a captain during the French and Indian War and played a role in the American Revolutionary War.

The Alden family also had roots in England, with Sir John Alden (1721-1805) being a prominent British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the 18th century.

Another notable bearer of the Alden surname was Henry Mills Alden (1836-1919), an American editor and writer who served as the editor of Harper's Magazine for over 50 years, from 1869 to 1919.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Alden

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

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

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

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