2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Aldenderfer
A German occupational surname referring to a person who tended alder trees or lived near an alder grove.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Aldenderfer. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Aldenderfer 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Aldenderfer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Aldenderfer, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Aldenderfer
The surname Aldenderfer is of German origin, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old German words "alt," meaning "old," and "dorf," meaning "village." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who hailed from an old or ancient village.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Bavarian town records of Regensburg, dating back to the 13th century. Here, a certain Aldendorfer is mentioned as a resident of the town, likely hailing from a nearby village with a similar name.
In the 15th century, the name appears in the annals of the city of Nuremberg, where a merchant named Hans Aldenderfer is recorded as conducting business transactions with other traders from across Europe. This suggests that the family had already established itself as a respectable and affluent lineage by that time.
The name Aldenderfer can also be traced back to the regions of Saxony and Thuringia in central Germany, where variations such as Altendorfer and Altendörfer were common. These regional spellings further reinforce the connection to the Old German words for "old" and "village."
One notable figure in history bearing this surname was Johann Aldenderfer (1537-1610), a Protestant theologian and scholar who taught at the University of Wittenberg. His works on biblical exegesis and religious reform were widely influential during the Reformation period.
Another individual of note was Margaretha Aldenderfer (1670-1744), a renowned herbalist and midwife from the town of Erfurt. Her expertise in traditional medicine and childbirth practices was highly regarded throughout the region.
In the 19th century, a certain Friedrich Aldenderfer (1822-1891) gained recognition as a pioneering engineer and architect, contributing to the design and construction of several important bridges and public buildings in Berlin and other German cities.
The name Aldenderfer also has a presence in the arts, with the painter Wilhelm Aldenderfer (1871-1939) being celebrated for his vibrant landscapes and depictions of rural life in Bavaria.
Lastly, one cannot overlook the contributions of Elise Aldenderfer (1898-1987), a prolific writer and women's rights activist who played a significant role in advocating for gender equality and social reforms during the early 20th century in Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aldenderfer
Among Census respondents with the surname Aldenderfer, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Aldenderfer 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 Aldenderfer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.0% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Aldenderfer
Aldenderfer 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+12 bearers (+10.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,292 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-6 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,821 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+10.8%) | Up 2,292 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 7,821 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 Aldenderfer 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 | #136,449 | #144,270 | -5.7% |
| Count | 123 | 117 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Aldenderfer bearers went from 123 to 117 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 7,821 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #144,270.
FAQ
Aldenderfer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Aldenderfer?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Aldenderfer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Aldenderfer?
Aldenderfer ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 117 people with the surname Aldenderfer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Aldenderfer.
Has Aldenderfer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Aldenderfer went from 123 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 6 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Aldenderfer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Aldenderfer, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Aldenderfer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Aldenderfer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.0%), Hispanic (1.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Aldenderfer (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 Aldenderfer mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a person who tended alder trees or lived near an alder grove. 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 Aldenderfer (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Aldenderfer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.