2000
#76,700
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 233
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Alexader
A surname derived from the Greek name "Alexandros", meaning "defender of men".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 112 Americans carry the last name Alexader. That puts it at #156,269 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,060,307 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Alexader 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
112
1 in 3,060,307
Census rank
#156,269
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
98
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 98 bearers of the surname Alexader in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156269th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Alexader, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.0%. The next largest groups are Black (37.8%) and Hispanic (8.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Alexader
The surname ALEXADER originated in Scotland during the medieval period. It is derived from the Greek personal name "Alexandros," which means "defender of men." The name was likely brought to Scotland by Greek scholars or traders who settled in the region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the ALEXADER surname can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a set of historical documents that recorded the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. This suggests that the ALEXADER family had established themselves as landowners in Scotland by the late 13th century.
During the 15th century, the ALEXADER surname was particularly prominent in the Scottish Lowlands, particularly in the areas around Edinburgh and the Scottish Borders. The earliest known bearer of the name was Sir William ALEXADER, who was knighted in 1455 for his service in the Wars of the Roses.
In the 16th century, the ALEXADER family played a significant role in the Scottish Reformation. John ALEXADER (1512-1586) was a renowned Protestant theologian and the first principal of the University of St. Andrews. He was a close associate of John Knox and played a crucial role in establishing Protestantism as the dominant religion in Scotland.
Another notable figure in Scottish history was Sir William ALEXADER (1567-1640), a poet and statesman who served as the King's Secretary for Scotland under James VI and I. He is best known for his poem "An Recreative Promenade in the Causey-Bank of Edinborough," which provides a vivid description of life in 16th-century Edinburgh.
In the 17th century, the ALEXADER surname spread to other parts of the British Isles, particularly Ireland and England. One of the most famous bearers of the name was Sir William ALEXADER (1609-1676), a Scottish politician and landowner who played a significant role in the colonization of Nova Scotia, Canada.
Throughout history, the ALEXADER surname has been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Alexanders-Toun (now Allantown) and Alexanders-Muir (now Allander). These place names likely derive from the ALEXADER family's ownership of lands in these areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alexader
Among Census respondents with the surname Alexader, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.0%. The next largest groups are Black (37.8%) and Hispanic (8.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Alexader 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 Alexader surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White48.0% · 47
- Black or African American37.8% · 37
- Hispanic or Latino8.2% · 8
- Two or more races4.1% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Alexader
Alexader 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
#65,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 304
+71 bearers (+30.5%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Up 11,456 places
2020
#156,269
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 98
-206 bearers (-67.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 91,025 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #76,700 | 233 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #65,244 | 304 | 0.10 | +71 bearers (+30.5%) | Up 11,456 places |
| 2020 | #156,269 | 98 | 0.03 | -206 bearers (-67.8%) | Down 91,025 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 Alexader 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 | #65,244 | #156,269 | -139.5% |
| Count | 304 | 98 | -67.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.03 | -67.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Alexader bearers went from 304 to 98 (-67.8% change). The surname moved down 91,025 positions in the national ranking, going from #65,244 to #156,269.
FAQ
Alexader surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Alexader?
Name Census estimates that about 112 living Americans carry the surname Alexader. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,060,307 residents.
How common is Alexader?
Alexader ranks #156,269 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 98 people with the surname Alexader. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (112), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Alexader.
Has Alexader become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Alexader went from 304 recorded bearers to 98. That is a decrease of 206 (-67.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #65,244 to #156,269.
What does the Census say about the background of Alexader?
Among Census respondents with the surname Alexader, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.0%. The next largest groups are Black (37.8%) and Hispanic (8.2%). 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 Alexader in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.0% (47 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Alexader appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (48.0%), Black (37.8%), Hispanic (8.2%). 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 Alexader (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 Alexader mean?
A surname derived from the Greek name "Alexandros", meaning "defender of men". 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 Alexader (0.03 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 Alexader?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.