2000
#11,818
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,428
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Arledge
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "eagle ridge" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,737 Americans carry the last name Arledge. That puts it at #12,416 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 125,230 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arledge 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
2.7K
1 in 125,230
Census rank
#12,416
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,387 bearers of the surname Arledge in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12416th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arledge, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Arledge
The surname Arledge has its origins in England, with the earliest known records dating back to the 11th century. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from the Old English words "ar" meaning "dwelling" and "leah" meaning "a clearing or meadow in a forest." The name likely referred to someone who lived near a clearing or meadow.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was spelled as "Arlegh." This was a survey of land and property commissioned by William the Conqueror after the Norman conquest of England in 1066.
During the Middle Ages, the name was also found in various spellings such as "Arleighe," "Arleagh," and "Arley." These variations were common due to the inconsistencies in spelling and record-keeping at the time.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire, where a certain William de Arlegh was recorded as a landowner. This suggests that the name had already established itself as a surname by this time.
One notable bearer of the name was Sir John Arledge (c. 1425-1499), a English knight and landowner from Gloucestershire. He served under King Edward IV during the Wars of the Roses and was granted estates for his loyalty.
Another prominent figure was Thomas Arledge (c. 1560-1638), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Dean of Exeter Cathedral from 1616 until his death. He was known for his work in reforming the cathedral's administration and promoting education.
In the 17th century, the name was also found in the records of the Virginia Colony in North America. Robert Arledge (c. 1630-1690) was an early settler and landowner in Westmoreland County, Virginia.
During the 18th century, the name appeared in the records of the East India Company, where a certain William Arledge (c. 1710-1780) served as a captain in the company's maritime fleet, trading in the Indian Ocean region.
In the 19th century, the surname was also found in literary circles with the English poet and writer Mary Arledge (1819-1892), who published several volumes of poetry and works on English literature.
While the name has evolved over time and spread to various parts of the world, its origins can be traced back to the English countryside, where it likely referred to the dwelling place of an early bearer near a clearing or meadow in the forest.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arledge
Among Census respondents with the surname Arledge, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Arledge 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 Arledge surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.6% · 2,114
- Two or more races3.7% · 89
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 84
- Black or African American3.1% · 75
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arledge
Arledge 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
#12,279
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,532
+104 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 461 places
2020
#12,416
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,387
-145 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 137 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,818 | 2,428 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,279 | 2,532 | 0.86 | +104 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 461 places |
| 2020 | #12,416 | 2,387 | 0.80 | -145 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 137 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 Arledge 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 | #12,279 | #12,416 | -1.1% |
| Count | 2,532 | 2,387 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.80 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arledge bearers went from 2,532 to 2,387 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 137 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,279 to #12,416.
FAQ
Arledge surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arledge?
Name Census estimates that about 2,737 living Americans carry the surname Arledge. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 125,230 residents.
How common is Arledge?
Arledge ranks #12,416 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,387 people with the surname Arledge. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,737), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Arledge.
Has Arledge become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arledge went from 2,532 recorded bearers to 2,387. That is a decrease of 145 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,279 to #12,416.
What does the Census say about the background of Arledge?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arledge, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Arledge in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.6% (2,114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arledge appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.6%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Arledge (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 Arledge mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "eagle ridge" in Old English. 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 Arledge (0.80 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 Arledge?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.