2000
#1,472
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,160
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.21
Uncommon Last name
Aldridge
From the Old English words "eald" meaning old, and "hrycg" meaning ridge, referring to someone living near an old ridge.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 25,093 Americans carry the last name Aldridge. That puts it at #1,598 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,659 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Aldridge 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 Aldridge with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
25K
1 in 13,659
Census rank
#1,598
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
22K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 21,882 bearers of the surname Aldridge in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1598th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Aldridge, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Black (14.6%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Aldridge
The surname Aldridge originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon era. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words 'ald' meaning old and 'hrycg' meaning ridge, referring to someone who lived near an old ridge or hill. The name was first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as 'Alredge' in Somerset.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname include Ailric de Alriz in Worcestershire in 1275 and Robert de Aldrich in Cambridgeshire in 1279. The name also appeared as Alderich, Aldridge, and Aldredge in various historical records.
One notable bearer of the name was Sir Ralph Aldridge (c.1330-1397), a wealthy merchant and Lord Mayor of London in 1368. Another was Sir Benjamin Aldridge (1737-1823), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.
In the 16th century, the name was found in the village of Aldridge, near Walsall in Staffordshire, which likely took its name from the Old English words for old ridge. Thomas Aldridge (1554-1623), a clergyman and author, was born in this village.
Other historical figures with the surname include Thomas Aldridge (1617-1674), an English Puritan and religious writer, and John Aldridge (1805-1887), a British geologist and paleontologist who made significant contributions to the study of fossil reptiles.
The Aldridge family coat of arms, granted in 1589, features a chevron between three fleurs-de-lis, symbolizing military service and loyalty. The name has also been associated with various place names, such as Aldridge Hill in Staffordshire and Aldridge Farm in Wiltshire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aldridge
Among Census respondents with the surname Aldridge, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Black (14.6%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Aldridge 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 Aldridge surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.9% · 16,837
- Black or African American14.6% · 3,194
- Two or more races4.4% · 962
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 635
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 143
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 111
Timeline
Historical Census data for Aldridge
Aldridge 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
#1,562
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,034
+874 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 7.81
Rank movement Down 90 places
2020
#1,598
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,882
-1,152 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 7.32
Rank movement Down 36 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,472 | 22,160 | 8.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,562 | 23,034 | 7.81 | +874 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 90 places |
| 2020 | #1,598 | 21,882 | 7.32 | -1,152 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 36 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 Aldridge 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 | #1,562 | #1,598 | -2.3% |
| Count | 23,034 | 21,882 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 7.81 | 7.32 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Aldridge bearers went from 23,034 to 21,882 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 36 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,562 to #1,598.
FAQ
Aldridge surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Aldridge?
Name Census estimates that about 25,093 living Americans carry the surname Aldridge. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,659 residents.
How common is Aldridge?
Aldridge ranks #1,598 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.32 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 21,882 people with the surname Aldridge. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (25,093), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.32 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Aldridge.
Has Aldridge become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Aldridge went from 23,034 recorded bearers to 21,882. That is a decrease of 1,152 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,562 to #1,598.
What does the Census say about the background of Aldridge?
Among Census respondents with the surname Aldridge, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Black (14.6%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Aldridge in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.9% (16,837 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Aldridge appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.9%), Black (14.6%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Aldridge (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 Aldridge mean?
From the Old English words "eald" meaning old, and "hrycg" meaning ridge, referring to someone living near an old ridge. 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 Aldridge (7.32 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 Aldridge?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.