NameCensus.

UK surname

Alder

Derived from the Old English word for "alder tree," indicating one who lived near such trees.

In the 1881 census there were 2,136 people recorded with the Alder surname, ranking it #2,074 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 2,856, ranked #2,352, down from #2,074 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Abingdon St Helen, Abingdon St Nicholas, London parishes and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Vale of White Horse, Salford and Northumberland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Alder is 2,941 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 33.7%.

1881 census count

2,136

Ranked #2,074

Modern count

2,856

2016, ranked #2,352

Peak year

1998

2,941 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Alder had 2,136 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,074 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 2,856 in 2016, ranked #2,352.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,832 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Alder surname distribution map

The map shows where the Alder surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Alder surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Alder over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 1,515 #1,891
1861 historical 1,592 #1,791
1881 historical 2,136 #2,074
1891 historical 2,286 #2,046
1901 historical 2,619 #2,107
1911 historical 2,832 #1,841
1997 modern 2,779 #2,317
1998 modern 2,941 #2,290
1999 modern 2,939 #2,303
2000 modern 2,924 #2,303
2001 modern 2,822 #2,331
2002 modern 2,867 #2,342
2003 modern 2,769 #2,366
2004 modern 2,767 #2,371
2005 modern 2,745 #2,360
2006 modern 2,755 #2,353
2007 modern 2,780 #2,357
2008 modern 2,809 #2,350
2009 modern 2,856 #2,358
2010 modern 2,920 #2,363
2011 modern 2,881 #2,359
2012 modern 2,775 #2,405
2013 modern 2,856 #2,385
2014 modern 2,910 #2,343
2015 modern 2,878 #2,346
2016 modern 2,856 #2,352

Geography

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Where Alders are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Abingdon St Helen, Abingdon St Nicholas, London parishes, Gateshead and Lambeth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Vale of White Horse, Salford and Northumberland. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Abingdon St Helen, Abingdon St Nicholas Berkshire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Gateshead Durham
5 Lambeth London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Vale of White Horse 006 Vale of White Horse
2 Salford 012 Salford
3 Vale of White Horse 008 Vale of White Horse
4 Northumberland 035 Northumberland
5 Vale of White Horse 004 Vale of White Horse

Forenames

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First names often paired with Alder

These lists show first names that appear often with the Alder surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Alder

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Alder, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Alder surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Alder household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Alder is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Alder is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Alder falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Alder is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Alder, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Alder

The surname Alder is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English word 'alor', meaning 'alder tree'. It is an occupational name for someone who lived or worked near an alder tree or alder grove. The earliest recordings of the name are found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as Alor, Alore and Alur.

The name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Cheshire, Yorkshire, and Derbyshire in the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated as a locational surname, referring to places such as Alder Carr in Cheshire or Alder's Gate in London. Over time, it became an occupational name for those who worked with alder wood, such as carpenters or woodworkers.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Richard Alder, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1199. Another early record is that of Robert le Aldere, found in the Assize Rolls of Warwickshire in 1277. In the 14th century, the name was also recorded as Aller, Alre, and Allyr.

One notable bearer of the surname was John Alder, a prominent English merchant and alderman of London in the 16th century. He served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1598. Another was Sir Thomas Alder, a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and was knighted in 1815 for his services.

In the literary world, the name is associated with William Alder, a 19th-century English writer and journalist who published works on natural history and travel. He was born in 1785 and is best known for his book 'A Narrative of a Journey to the Youcan Country' published in 1810.

Another notable figure was Sir Sydney Alder, a British civil engineer and architect who was born in 1852. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Albert Hall.

Lastly, a more recent bearer of the name was Sir John Alder, a British businessman and philanthropist who lived from 1892 to 1980. He made his fortune in the textile industry and was knighted in 1955 for his charitable work and services to industry.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Alder families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Alder surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Berkshire leads with 313 Alders recorded in 1881 and an index of 19.97x.

County Total Index
Berkshire 313 19.97x
Middlesex 310 1.48x
Gloucestershire 225 5.50x
Surrey 212 2.08x
Northumberland 165 5.31x
Durham 149 2.40x
Oxfordshire 134 10.39x
Hampshire 115 2.69x
Wiltshire 80 4.33x
Warwickshire 62 1.18x
Kent 47 0.66x
Lancashire 44 0.18x
Sussex 40 1.14x
Yorkshire 38 0.18x
Essex 28 0.68x
Buckinghamshire 25 1.98x
Somerset 23 0.68x
Berwickshire 12 4.75x
Cornwall 10 0.42x
Lincolnshire 10 0.30x
Montgomeryshire 8 1.67x
Norfolk 8 0.25x
Bedfordshire 7 0.65x
Derbyshire 6 0.18x
Devon 6 0.14x
Lanarkshire 5 0.07x
Royal Navy 5 2.01x
Worcestershire 5 0.18x
East Lothian 4 1.45x
Glamorgan 4 0.11x
Midlothian 4 0.14x
Renfrewshire 4 0.25x
Aberdeenshire 3 0.16x
Angus 3 0.16x
Cambridgeshire 3 0.23x
Dorset 3 0.22x
Hertfordshire 3 0.21x
Isle of Man 3 0.77x
Staffordshire 3 0.04x
Pembrokeshire 2 0.30x
Roxburghshire 2 0.53x
Shropshire 2 0.11x
Argyllshire 1 0.17x
Cumberland 1 0.06x
Dunbartonshire 1 0.18x
Leicestershire 1 0.04x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.04x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Lambeth in Surrey leads with 62 Alders recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.41x.

Place Total Index
Lambeth 62 3.41x
Bishopwearmouth 49 9.19x
Denchworth 46 2839.51x
Cheltenham 41 12.98x
Kingstanley 41 270.98x
Twickenham 30 33.52x
Abingdon St Helen 29 63.31x
Birmingham 29 1.65x
Aston 27 1.86x
Hursley 27 271.90x
Chelsea London 25 3.97x
Letcombe Regis 25 827.81x
Oxford St Ebbe 25 65.89x
Berwick Upon Tweed 24 36.47x
Stanton Harcourt 24 615.38x
Wantage 23 92.07x
Westoe 22 6.25x
Camberwell 21 1.57x
Kensington London 21 1.81x
Paddington London 21 2.74x
St Marylebone London 21 1.88x
St Pancras London 21 1.25x
Heworth 20 16.34x
Westgate 20 10.40x
Hackney London 19 1.62x
Islington London 19 0.94x
Newcastle On Tyne St 17 10.56x
Newington 17 2.20x
Southwark St George Martyr 17 4.05x
St George In East London 17 8.66x
Trowbridge 17 20.83x
Aldbourn 15 139.53x
Cumnor 14 193.91x
Middlesbrough 14 5.20x
Stroud 14 17.57x
Baydon 13 607.48x
Childrey 13 352.30x
Oxford St Thomas 13 21.61x
Wheatenhurst 13 500.00x
Bethnal Green London 12 1.32x
Bisley 12 32.35x
Cowley 12 29.82x
Pemberton 12 12.15x
Sutton Courtney 12 185.47x
Avington 11 1571.43x
Bermondsey 11 1.77x
Lyford 11 1157.89x
Shepton Mallet 11 29.18x
Shipton Under Wychwood 11 132.53x
St George Bloomsbury 11 9.18x
Hartlepool 10 11.33x
Hitcham 10 348.43x
West Hendred 10 393.70x
Abberwick 9 1139.24x
Caterham 9 20.02x
Eastbourne 9 5.56x
Elswick 9 3.63x
Gateshead 9 1.94x
Horsley 9 49.61x
Madron Penzance 9 10.47x
Morpeth 9 24.64x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 9 4.85x
Osmotherley 9 136.78x
Ponteland 9 282.13x
Ramsbury 9 53.83x
Cam 8 63.69x
Finstock Fawler 8 186.48x
Garford 8 327.87x
Hurstbourne Tarrant 8 133.78x
Leonard Stanley 8 148.98x
Mitford 8 496.89x
Mongewell 8 754.72x
Montgomery 8 93.79x
Sherborne St John 8 173.91x
Shoreditch London 8 0.88x
Southwark St John 8 12.53x
Southwark St Saviour 8 7.46x
Thornbury 8 28.58x
Letcombe Bassett 7 443.04x
Walthamstow 7 4.72x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Alder surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 104
Elizabeth 100
Sarah 66
Jane 57
Ann 36
Eliza 33
Alice 32
Annie 30
Emily 30
Margaret 27
Emma 26
Ellen 25
Louisa 23
Fanny 19
Harriet 19
Maria 18
Martha 18
Charlotte 16
Edith 15
Hannah 15
Kate 14
Caroline 13
Frances 12
Isabella 11
Catherine 10
Florence 9
Lucy 8
Ada 7
Julia 7
Rose 7
Susannah 7
Agnes 6
Amelia 6
Sophia 6
Susan 6
Anna 5
Anne 5
Clara 5
Hester 5
Ruth 5
Evelyn 4
Jessie 4
Lillian 4
Rosa 4
Amy 3
Eleanor 3
Harriett 3
Marion 3
Rebecca 3
Rhoda 3

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Alder surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 126
John 106
George 92
Thomas 74
James 55
Charles 54
Henry 49
Joseph 38
Edward 34
Robert 28
Frederick 26
Albert 24
Arthur 22
Alfred 20
Richard 17
Ernest 16
Edwin 12
Frank 12
Walter 12
Samuel 11
Harry 9
Francis 7
Ralph 7
Daniel 5
Gilbert 5
Herbert 5
Fredrick 4
Isaac 4
Matthew 4
Percy 4
Thos. 4
Wm. 4
Andrew 3
Chas. 3
David 3
Eli 3
Emanuel 3
Enoch 3
Fredk. 3
Mark 3
Philip 3
Stephen 3
Christopher 2
Cuthbert 2
Fred 2
Frederic 2
Leonard 2
Peter 2
Robson 2
Rodger 2

FAQ

Alder surname: questions and answers

How common was the Alder surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,136 people were recorded with the Alder surname. That placed it at #2,074 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Alder surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 2,856 in 2016. That gives Alder a modern rank of #2,352.

What does the Alder surname mean?

Derived from the Old English word for "alder tree," indicating one who lived near such trees.

What does the Alder map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Alder bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.