2000
#10,657
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,755
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.02
Rare Last name
Auld
Derived from the Old English "eald," meaning "old," referring to an elderly person or the elder of two people.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,031 Americans carry the last name Auld. That puts it at #11,401 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 113,083 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Auld 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 Auld with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 113,083
Census rank
#11,401
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,643 bearers of the surname Auld in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11401st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Auld, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Auld
The surname AULD is of Scottish origin, deriving from the Middle English and Scots words "ald" or "auld," meaning "old." It likely originated as a descriptive nickname for an elderly person or as a means of distinguishing between individuals with the same given name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to the late 12th century, appearing in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage rolls recording those who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. This document lists several individuals with the surname AULD, hailing from various regions across Scotland.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the AULD surname appeared in various Scottish records and documents, often associated with landholdings and local nobility. One notable figure was Sir Andrew AULD, a Scottish knight who fought in the Wars of Scottish Independence during the 14th century.
In the 16th century, the AULD family gained prominence in the Scottish Lowlands, particularly in the regions of Renfrewshire and Ayrshire. Records from this period show AULD families holding significant landholdings and estates in these areas.
One distinguished bearer of the name was Robert AULD (1572-1638), a Scottish minister and theologian who served as the Principal of Marischal College in Aberdeen. He was a prominent figure in the Scottish Protestant Reformation and played a crucial role in the establishment of the Church of Scotland.
Another notable AULD was Sir Thomas AULD (1615-1693), a Scottish lawyer and judge who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh and later as a Lord of Session, one of the highest judicial positions in Scotland at the time.
In the 18th century, the AULD surname continued to be associated with Scottish landed gentry and clergy. Reverend Robert AULD (1701-1781), a Presbyterian minister in Ayrshire, was a renowned scholar and author of several theological works.
As the Scottish diaspora spread across the world, the AULD surname traveled with it. One prominent figure was John AULD (1786-1858), a Scottish-born Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada.
Throughout history, the surname AULD has been spelled in various ways, including ALDE, AUDE, and AWDE, reflecting regional variations and linguistic influences. Despite these variations, the name's origins and meaning remained rooted in the Scottish heritage and the concept of "old age" or "antiquity."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Auld
Among Census respondents with the surname Auld, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Auld 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 Auld surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.1% · 2,118
- Black or African American5.4% · 143
- Two or more races5.4% · 142
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 132
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 54
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 54
Timeline
Historical Census data for Auld
Auld 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
#11,290
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,798
+43 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Down 633 places
2020
#11,401
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,643
-155 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 111 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,657 | 2,755 | 1.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,290 | 2,798 | 0.95 | +43 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 633 places |
| 2020 | #11,401 | 2,643 | 0.88 | -155 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 111 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 Auld 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 | #11,290 | #11,401 | -1.0% |
| Count | 2,798 | 2,643 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.95 | 0.88 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Auld bearers went from 2,798 to 2,643 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 111 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,290 to #11,401.
FAQ
Auld surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Auld?
Name Census estimates that about 3,031 living Americans carry the surname Auld. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 113,083 residents.
How common is Auld?
Auld ranks #11,401 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.88 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 2,643 people with the surname Auld. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,031), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.88 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 Auld.
Has Auld become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Auld went from 2,798 recorded bearers to 2,643. That is a decrease of 155 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,290 to #11,401.
What does the Census say about the background of Auld?
Among Census respondents with the surname Auld, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Auld in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.1% (2,118 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Auld appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.1%), Black (5.4%), Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Auld (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 Auld mean?
Derived from the Old English "eald," meaning "old," referring to an elderly person or the elder of two people. 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 Auld (0.88 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 Auld?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.