2000
#8,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,471
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.29
Rare Last name
Alder
Derived from the Old English word for "alder tree," indicating one who lived near such trees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,211 Americans carry the last name Alder. That puts it at #8,594 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 81,395 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Alder 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Alder with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.2K
1 in 81,395
Census rank
#8,594
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,672 bearers of the surname Alder in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8594th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Alder, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Black (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alder
Among Census respondents with the surname Alder, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Black (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Alder 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 Alder surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.1% · 3,198
- Two or more races4.2% · 153
- Black or African American3.9% · 145
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 133
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Alder
Alder 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
#8,485
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,885
+414 bearers (+11.9%)
Per 100,000 1.32
Rank movement Up 227 places
2020
#8,594
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,672
-213 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Down 109 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,712 | 3,471 | 1.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,485 | 3,885 | 1.32 | +414 bearers (+11.9%) | Up 227 places |
| 2020 | #8,594 | 3,672 | 1.23 | -213 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 109 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 Alder 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 | #8,485 | #8,594 | -1.3% |
| Count | 3,885 | 3,672 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.32 | 1.23 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Alder bearers went from 3,885 to 3,672 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 109 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,485 to #8,594.
FAQ
Alder surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Alder?
Name Census estimates that about 4,211 living Americans carry the surname Alder. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 81,395 residents.
How common is Alder?
Alder ranks #8,594 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,672 people with the surname Alder. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,211), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Alder.
Has Alder become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Alder went from 3,885 recorded bearers to 3,672. That is a decrease of 213 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,485 to #8,594.
What does the Census say about the background of Alder?
Among Census respondents with the surname Alder, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Black (3.9%). 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 Alder in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.1% (3,198 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Alder appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.1%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Black (3.9%). 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 Alder (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 Alder mean?
Derived from the Old English word for "alder tree," indicating one who lived near such trees. 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 Alder (1.23 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 share the surname Alder?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.