2000
#1,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,951
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.28
Uncommon Last name
Allred
A surname of English origin, derived from the Old English words "eald" and "red," meaning "old" and "counsel."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 21,374 Americans carry the last name Allred. That puts it at #1,891 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,036 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Allred 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 Allred with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
21K
1 in 16,036
Census rank
#1,891
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 18,639 bearers of the surname Allred in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1891st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Allred, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Allred
The surname Allred has its roots in England, where it first emerged in the late 12th century. It is believed to have originated from the Old English word "Alfred," which means "elf counsel" or "wise elf." This name was initially an Anglo-Saxon given name before evolving into a surname.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Allred surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "Alured." This variation of the spelling was common in medieval times, reflecting the dialectal and scribal variations of the era.
During the 13th century, the Allred surname was particularly prevalent in the county of Norfolk, England. This region is known for its rich history and numerous mentions in ancient records, such as the Domesday Book of 1086, which served as a comprehensive survey of landholders and their holdings.
Notable individuals bearing the Allred surname throughout history include Sir William Allred (1499-1565), a prominent English landowner and member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another notable figure was Robert Allred (1619-1686), a Quaker minister who emigrated from England to the American colonies in the late 17th century.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Allred surname can be traced back to John Allred, who was born in Virginia in 1724. He later settled in North Carolina, where his descendants continued to reside for generations.
The Allred surname has also been associated with several place names, such as Allred's Mill in North Carolina, which was named after the family that owned and operated a mill in the area during the 19th century.
Other notable individuals with the Allred surname include William Allred (1805-1857), a Mormon pioneer and early settler in the Salt Lake Valley of Utah, and Thomas Allred (1828-1905), a Confederate soldier during the American Civil War who later became a prominent farmer and landowner in Texas.
Throughout its history, the Allred surname has maintained a strong connection to its English roots and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, ranging from landowners and politicians to religious leaders and military figures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Allred
Among Census respondents with the surname Allred, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Allred 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 Allred surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 16,974
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 592
- Two or more races3.0% · 564
- Black or African American1.7% · 312
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 100
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 97
Timeline
Historical Census data for Allred
Allred 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
#1,947
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,526
+1,575 bearers (+9.3%)
Per 100,000 6.28
Rank movement Up 1 places
2020
#1,891
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,639
+113 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 6.24
Rank movement Up 56 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,948 | 16,951 | 6.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,947 | 18,526 | 6.28 | +1,575 bearers (+9.3%) | Up 1 places |
| 2020 | #1,891 | 18,639 | 6.24 | +113 bearers (+0.6%) | Up 56 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 Allred 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 | #1,947 | #1,891 | 2.9% |
| Count | 18,526 | 18,639 | 0.6% |
| Per 100K | 6.28 | 6.24 | -0.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Allred bearers went from 18,526 to 18,639 (+0.6% change). The surname moved up 56 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,947 to #1,891.
FAQ
Allred surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Allred?
Name Census estimates that about 21,374 living Americans carry the surname Allred. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,036 residents.
How common is Allred?
Allred ranks #1,891 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.24 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 18,639 people with the surname Allred. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (21,374), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.24 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Allred.
Has Allred become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Allred went from 18,526 recorded bearers to 18,639. That is an increase of 113 (+0.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,947 to #1,891.
What does the Census say about the background of Allred?
Among Census respondents with the surname Allred, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Allred in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (16,974 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Allred appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Allred (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 Allred mean?
A surname of English origin, derived from the Old English words "eald" and "red," meaning "old" and "counsel." 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 Allred (6.24 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 have the surname Allred?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.