Eldridge
Noble descendant, also associated with dweller by the old ridge.
Name Census estimates that about 2,210 living Americans carry the first name Eldridge. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Eldridge today is around 59 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Eldridge births was 1924 (120 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Eldridge. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Eldridge with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
2.2K
~ 1 in 155,092 Americans
Peak year
1924
120 babies that year
Average age
59
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,883
Tracked since 1880
Census
Eldridge in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,911 people with the first name Eldridge, which placed it at #7,805 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#7,805
National first-name rank
People counted
1.9K
1,911 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.6
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
54.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eldridge
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Eldridge is Black at 54.4%. The next largest groups are White (36.9%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Eldridge 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 name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Eldridge at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American54.4% · 1,039
- White36.9% · 705
- Two or more races3.3% · 63
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 51
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 39
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 14
Popularity
Eldridge: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Eldridge from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 1,004 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Eldridge by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Eldridge during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Eldridges live
The SSA's state-level files cover 19 states and territories. Louisiana, Virginia, Texas recorded the most babies named Eldridge, while South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Missouri recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 104 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Eldridge
The name Eldridge has its roots in the Old English language, tracing back to the early medieval period in Britain. It is derived from the compound words "ealda" meaning "old" and "ric" meaning "power" or "rule," effectively translating to "old ruler" or "venerable leader."
One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing this name was Eldridge the Pious, a 7th-century monk and scribe who is credited with preserving numerous religious texts and historical records during the tumultuous years following the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain. His meticulous work in transcribing manuscripts played a crucial role in maintaining cultural continuity during a period of significant upheaval.
The name Eldridge is also found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. Several landowners and tenants with the name Eldridge are listed, indicating its widespread use among the aristocracy and gentry of the time.
In the 12th century, Eldridge of Chichester gained recognition as a skilled architect and master builder. He is credited with overseeing the construction of several notable churches and abbeys across southern England, including the magnificent Chichester Cathedral, which remains a testament to his architectural prowess.
During the Renaissance period, the name Eldridge was associated with the arts and literature. Eldridge Marlowe, a celebrated English playwright and poet who lived from 1564 to 1593, is renowned for his contributions to the development of blank verse and his famous works such as "Doctor Faustus" and "The Jew of Malta."
Another notable figure was Eldridge Bacon, a 17th-century philosopher and scientist who made significant contributions to the field of empiricism. Born in 1561, Bacon is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of the scientific method and is credited with laying the foundations for the modern scientific approach.
In the realm of exploration, Eldridge Frobisher, an English navigator and privateer who lived from 1535 to 1594, gained fame for his daring voyages in search of the Northwest Passage. Despite facing numerous challenges and setbacks, his expeditions contributed greatly to the knowledge of the Arctic regions and paved the way for future explorers.
These are just a few examples of the historical figures who have borne the name Eldridge, each leaving an indelible mark on their respective fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of human history.
People
Eldridge + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Eldridge as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Eldridge: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Eldridge?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,210 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Eldridge going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 155,092 US residents.
Is Eldridge a common name?
We classify Eldridge as "Rare". It ranks above 94.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5,241 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Eldridge most popular?
The single biggest year for Eldridge was 1924, when 120 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Eldridge is about 59 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Eldridge in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,911 people with the name Eldridge, or 0.63 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #7,805 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Eldridge in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Eldridge?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Eldridge leans strongly male. 1,887 people counted with this name were male (98.4%), compared with 31 female bearers (1.6%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Eldridge?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Eldridge is Black at 54.4%. The next largest groups are White (36.9%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Eldridge most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Eldridge in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.4% (1,039 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Eldridge in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Eldridge a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Eldridge in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Eldridge still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Eldridge in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Eldridge can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are named Eldridge?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.