2000
#117,538
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 137
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Alda
From the Old English given name Ealda, meaning "old" or "wise."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 202 Americans carry the last name Alda. That puts it at #107,521 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,696,804 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Alda 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
202
1 in 1,696,804
Census rank
#107,521
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
176
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 176 bearers of the surname Alda in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 107521st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Alda, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (27.3%) and Hispanic (15.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Alda
The surname ALDA originates from Spain and Italy, emerging in the medieval period around the 11th century. It is thought to derive from the Germanic personal name Aldo or Aldi, which means "old" or "venerable". Some linguists suggest it may also have roots in the Gothic name Aldus or the Latin name Aldius.
In Spain, the name ALDA is believed to have originated in the northern regions of Asturias and Cantabria, where it appears in early records and documents. The earliest known reference is in a cartulary from the Monastery of San Vicente de Oviedo, dated 1089, which mentions an individual named Alda Pelaiz.
In Italy, the ALDA surname is concentrated in the northern regions, particularly in the provinces of Brescia and Bergamo. One of the earliest recorded instances is in a document from the city of Brescia in 1198, referring to a man named Petrus de Alda.
The name ALDA is also found in various medieval manuscripts and records across Europe. For example, in the Domesday Book of 1086, a landowner named Alda is listed as holding estates in Lincolnshire, England. In the 13th century, an Italian legal scholar named Alda Gandino authored several influential treatises on canon law.
Notable individuals with the surname ALDA throughout history include:
- Alfonso de Alda (c. 1470-1540), a Spanish conquistador and explorer who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés.
- Girolamo Alda (1580-1647), an Italian painter and architect active in Brescia during the Baroque period.
- Juan Bautista de Alda (1617-1681), a Spanish military engineer and architect who designed fortifications in the Netherlands and Spain.
- Francesco Alda (1770-1848), an Italian composer and violinist who served as the Kapellmeister at the Cathedral of Bergamo.
- Ernesto Alda (1869-1928), an Italian-American actor and singer who appeared in several early Hollywood films.
While the ALDA surname is not among the most common in modern times, its long history and presence across various European regions attest to its enduring legacy and cultural significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alda
Among Census respondents with the surname Alda, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (27.3%) and Hispanic (15.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Alda 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 Alda surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.8% · 93
- Asian and Pacific Islander27.3% · 48
- Hispanic or Latino15.3% · 27
- Two or more races4.5% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Alda
Alda 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
#119,508
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 145
+8 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 1,970 places
2020
#107,521
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 176
+31 bearers (+21.4%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 11,987 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #117,538 | 137 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #119,508 | 145 | 0.05 | +8 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 1,970 places |
| 2020 | #107,521 | 176 | 0.06 | +31 bearers (+21.4%) | Up 11,987 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 Alda 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 | #119,508 | #107,521 | 10.0% |
| Count | 145 | 176 | 21.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.06 | 17.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Alda bearers went from 145 to 176 (+21.4% change). The surname moved up 11,987 positions in the national ranking, going from #119,508 to #107,521.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Alda
FAQ
Alda surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Alda?
Name Census estimates that about 202 living Americans carry the surname Alda. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,696,804 residents.
How common is Alda?
Alda ranks #107,521 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 176 people with the surname Alda. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (202), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Alda.
Has Alda become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Alda went from 145 recorded bearers to 176. That is an increase of 31 (+21.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #119,508 to #107,521.
What does the Census say about the background of Alda?
Among Census respondents with the surname Alda, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (27.3%) and Hispanic (15.3%). 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 Alda in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.8% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Alda appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (52.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (27.3%), Hispanic (15.3%). 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 Alda (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 Alda mean?
From the Old English given name Ealda, meaning "old" or "wise." 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 Alda (0.06 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 Alda?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.