2000
#1,322
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,510
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.09
Uncommon Last name
Eldridge
Derived from a place name meaning "old ridge" in Old English, referring to someone who lived near a ridge.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 27,722 Americans carry the last name Eldridge. That puts it at #1,434 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,364 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Eldridge 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 Eldridge with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
28K
1 in 12,364
Census rank
#1,434
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
24K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 24,175 bearers of the surname Eldridge in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1434th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Eldridge, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.6%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Eldridge
The surname Eldridge is of English origin and dates back to the 11th century. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words 'ald', meaning old, and 'ric', meaning stream or ruler, referring to someone who lived near an old stream or watercourse.
The earliest known recorded spelling of the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Aldrich'. This entry refers to a landowner in Somerset, England. Other early variations of the name include Aldric, Aldridge, and Eldrich.
During the 12th and 13th centuries, the name was particularly prominent in the counties of Staffordshire, Warwickshire, and Worcestershire, where several places were named after the Eldridge family, such as Eldridge Green in Staffordshire and Eldridge Hills in Warwickshire.
One of the earliest notable bearers of the name was Sir William Eldridge (c. 1260-1325), a prominent landowner and knight from Worcestershire. He served as a member of parliament and was involved in the conflicts between King Edward II and the barons.
In the 15th century, John Eldridge (c. 1420-1490) was a renowned scholar and theologian who served as the Dean of Lichfield Cathedral. He is remembered for his contributions to the study of canon law and his writings on ecclesiastical matters.
During the Tudor period, Thomas Eldridge (c. 1510-1572) was a prominent merchant and alderman in the City of London. He was known for his successful trade ventures and philanthropic activities, including funding the construction of a grammar school in his hometown.
In the 17th century, Edward Eldridge (1627-1693) was a notable Puritan minister and author who emigrated from England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He served as the pastor of the church in Yarmouth, Massachusetts, and wrote several influential works on religious topics.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Sir Samuel Eldridge (1680-1745), a British naval officer who served during the War of the Spanish Succession and the War of the Quadruple Alliance. He was renowned for his bravery and strategic skills in several naval battles against the French and Spanish fleets.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eldridge
Among Census respondents with the surname Eldridge, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.6%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Eldridge 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 Eldridge surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.9% · 19,080
- Black or African American12.6% · 3,050
- Two or more races4.4% · 1,054
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 650
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 194
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 147
Timeline
Historical Census data for Eldridge
Eldridge 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
#1,402
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,299
+789 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 8.58
Rank movement Down 80 places
2020
#1,434
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,175
-1,124 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 8.09
Rank movement Down 32 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,322 | 24,510 | 9.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,402 | 25,299 | 8.58 | +789 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 80 places |
| 2020 | #1,434 | 24,175 | 8.09 | -1,124 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 32 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 Eldridge 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 | #1,402 | #1,434 | -2.3% |
| Count | 25,299 | 24,175 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 8.58 | 8.09 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Eldridge bearers went from 25,299 to 24,175 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 32 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,402 to #1,434.
FAQ
Eldridge surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Eldridge?
Name Census estimates that about 27,722 living Americans carry the surname Eldridge. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,364 residents.
How common is Eldridge?
Eldridge ranks #1,434 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 24,175 people with the surname Eldridge. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (27,722), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Eldridge.
Has Eldridge become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Eldridge went from 25,299 recorded bearers to 24,175. That is a decrease of 1,124 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,402 to #1,434.
What does the Census say about the background of Eldridge?
Among Census respondents with the surname Eldridge, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.6%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Eldridge in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.9% (19,080 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Eldridge appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.9%), Black (12.6%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Eldridge (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 Eldridge mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "old ridge" in Old English, referring to someone who lived near a ridge. 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 Eldridge (8.09 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 Eldridge?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.