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

Alder, 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 Alder surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Alder in America

Alder is the 8485th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Alder surname appeared 3,885 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Alder.

We can also compare 2010 data for Alder 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 Alder

The surname Alder is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English word 'alor', meaning 'alder tree'. It is an occupational name for someone who lived or worked near an alder tree or alder grove. The earliest recordings of the name are found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as Alor, Alore and Alur.

The name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Cheshire, Yorkshire, and Derbyshire in the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated as a locational surname, referring to places such as Alder Carr in Cheshire or Alder's Gate in London. Over time, it became an occupational name for those who worked with alder wood, such as carpenters or woodworkers.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Richard Alder, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1199. Another early record is that of Robert le Aldere, found in the Assize Rolls of Warwickshire in 1277. In the 14th century, the name was also recorded as Aller, Alre, and Allyr.

One notable bearer of the surname was John Alder, a prominent English merchant and alderman of London in the 16th century. He served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1598. Another was Sir Thomas Alder, a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and was knighted in 1815 for his services.

In the literary world, the name is associated with William Alder, a 19th-century English writer and journalist who published works on natural history and travel. He was born in 1785 and is best known for his book 'A Narrative of a Journey to the Youcan Country' published in 1810.

Another notable figure was Sir Sydney Alder, a British civil engineer and architect who was born in 1852. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Albert Hall.

Lastly, a more recent bearer of the name was Sir John Alder, a British businessman and philanthropist who lived from 1892 to 1980. He made his fortune in the textile industry and was knighted in 1955 for his charitable work and services to industry.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Alder

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!