2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ardeljan
A surname potentially of Albanian origin referring to someone hailing from the Ardell region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Ardeljan. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ardeljan 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Ardeljan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ardeljan, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ardeljan
The surname Ardeljan originates from the Balkan region, specifically Serbia and neighboring countries. It is believed to have derived from the Slavic word "ardal," meaning "to plow" or "to cultivate land," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name were likely farmers or agricultural workers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Ardeljan surname dates back to the 14th century, where it was mentioned in a historical document from the Kingdom of Serbia. This document referred to a landowner named Petar Ardeljan, who owned a substantial tract of land in the region of Šumadija.
During the Ottoman rule in the Balkans, the Ardeljan name appeared in various tax records and census documents. In 1488, a certain Jovan Ardeljan was listed as a taxpayer in the town of Kruševac, which was then part of the Ottoman Empire.
In the 17th century, the Ardeljan family gained prominence in the region of Vojvodina, which was then under the rule of the Habsburg Monarchy. Mihailo Ardeljan (1645-1712) was a renowned military leader who fought in the Austro-Turkish War and played a crucial role in the liberation of parts of Vojvodina from Ottoman control.
Another notable figure bearing the Ardeljan surname was Andreja Ardeljan (1790-1864), a Serbian writer and teacher who lived in the city of Novi Sad. He authored several educational books and was instrumental in promoting the Serbian language and culture during the period of national revival.
In the late 19th century, a branch of the Ardeljan family migrated to the United States, settling in the state of Illinois. One of the earliest recorded American Ardeljans was Petar Ardeljan (1856-1931), who worked as a coal miner in the town of Westville.
Throughout history, the Ardeljan surname has also been associated with various place names in the Balkan region. For instance, the village of Ardeljanovo in eastern Serbia is believed to have derived its name from the Ardeljan family who once lived there.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ardeljan
Among Census respondents with the surname Ardeljan, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Ardeljan 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 Ardeljan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.3% · 118
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ardeljan
Ardeljan 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,437 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+8 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,204 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,437 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.1%) | Up 5,204 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 Ardeljan 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 | #147,253 | #142,049 | 3.5% |
| Count | 112 | 120 | 7.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ardeljan bearers went from 112 to 120 (+7.1% change). The surname moved up 5,204 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #142,049.
FAQ
Ardeljan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ardeljan?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Ardeljan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Ardeljan?
Ardeljan ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 120 people with the surname Ardeljan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Ardeljan.
Has Ardeljan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ardeljan went from 112 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 8 (+7.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #147,253 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Ardeljan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ardeljan, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%). 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 Ardeljan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.3% (118 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ardeljan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.3%), Hispanic (0.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%). 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 Ardeljan (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 Ardeljan mean?
A surname potentially of Albanian origin referring to someone hailing from the Ardell region. 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 Ardeljan (0.04 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 last name Ardeljan?
Want to know how many people have the surname Ardeljan? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.