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

Ales, 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 Ales surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ales in America

Ales is the 35993rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ales surname appeared 623 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Ales.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ales 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 Ales

The surname ALES has its origins in England and dates back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "alor" or "aler," meaning an alder tree, and likely referred to someone who lived near an alder grove or worked with alder wood.

The earliest recorded mention of the ALES surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, a census-like record compiled in 1273. Here, the name is spelled as "Aleres," referring to Hugh Aleres of Oxfordshire.

During the 14th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Aler, Aleres, and Alayre, in records from counties like Essex, Berkshire, and Gloucestershire. This variation in spelling was common in medieval times before standardized spelling became prevalent.

In the 15th century, the ALES surname is recorded in the Manor Court Rolls of Wiltshire, where a John Ales is mentioned in 1428. This suggests the name had spread to different parts of England by this time.

One notable bearer of the ALES surname was Sir Thomas Ales (c. 1555-1632), an English judge and lawyer who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1625. He was born in Rickinghall, Suffolk, and his family's coat of arms featured three alder trees, a nod to the surname's meaning.

Another prominent figure was William Ales (c. 1500-1568), a Protestant reformer and chaplain to Queen Elizabeth I. He was born in Lincolnshire and was a vocal critic of the Catholic Church, publishing several works defending the Protestant faith.

In the 17th century, the ALES surname is found in the parish records of Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare. An entry from 1628 mentions the baptism of Mary Ales, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Ales.

The surname ALES also has connections to place names in England. For example, Ales Green in Gloucestershire and Ales Hill in Hampshire were likely named after early bearers of the surname who lived in or near these locations.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the ALES surname in its modern spelling can be found in the baptismal records of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, where a John Ales was baptized in 1635.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ales

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

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

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

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