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

Alfred, 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 Alfred surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Alfred in America

Alfred is the 5364th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Alfred surname appeared 6,490 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Alfred.

We can also compare 2010 data for Alfred 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 Alfred

The surname Alfred has its origins in Old English, deriving from the elements "ælf" meaning "elf" and "ræd" meaning "counsel" or "wisdom". It is believed to have originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period, which lasted from the 5th to the 11th centuries.

The earliest recorded instance of the name Alfred as a surname dates back to the late 12th century in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire, where it was spelled "Alfredus". During this time, surnames were beginning to be adopted by the English gentry and aristocracy, often derived from personal names, occupations, or places of origin.

In the Domesday Book, a manuscript written in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror, there are several instances of the name Alfred or similar spellings, such as "Aluric" and "Alric", which could potentially be early forms of the surname.

One of the most notable historical figures with the surname Alfred was King Alfred the Great (849-899), who ruled over the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex from 871 to 899. He is renowned for his military victories against the Vikings, his promotion of education, and his legal reforms.

Another prominent individual with the surname Alfred was the Anglo-Saxon scholar and writer Ælfred of Rievaulx (c.1109-1166), who served as the abbot of the Cistercian monastery at Rievaulx Abbey in Yorkshire.

The surname Alfred has also been associated with several notable figures in more recent history. For example, Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913) was a British naturalist, explorer, and co-discoverer of the theory of evolution through natural selection with Charles Darwin.

Sir Alfred Munnings (1878-1959) was a renowned English painter best known for his depictions of horses and equestrian scenes. His works can be found in various prestigious collections, including the Tate Gallery and the National Gallery of Canada.

In the realm of literature, Alfred Noyes (1880-1958) was an English poet and playwright who wrote several acclaimed works, including "The Highwayman" and "The Barrel-Organ".

These examples demonstrate the enduring presence of the surname Alfred throughout history, originating from its Anglo-Saxon roots and evolving over the centuries to be associated with individuals from various fields and backgrounds.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Alfred

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Alfred, 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!