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Alden Family History

Alden Surname Meaning

English: from a Middle English personal name. This is either Aldwin Aldin (representing Old English Ealdwine with loss of -w-) or Middle English Alwin with an intrusive -d- (see Alwin ) or Aldan a variant of the Anglo-Scandinavian personal name Healfdene (see Haldane ). Norwegian: habitational name from a farmstead in western Norway so named because of its situation below a high mountain Alden from an unattested word ‘high standing out’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Olden, Alder, Elden, Walden, Olsen, Allen, Arden, Almen, Aden, Lien

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Alden family from?

You can see how Alden families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Alden family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Alden families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 171 Alden families living in Massachusetts. This was about 46% of all the recorded Alden's in USA. Massachusetts had the highest population of Alden families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Alden surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
  • 1840
  • 1880
  • 1920
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What did your Alden ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Teacher were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Alden. 13% of Alden men worked as a Farmer and 10% of Alden women worked as a Teacher. Some less common occupations for Americans named Alden were Clerk and Clerk. .

View Census Data for Alden | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Farmer
    13%
  • Laborer
    12%
  • Salesman
    8%
  • Clerk
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Teacher
    10%
  • Stenographer
    9%
  • Housekeeper
    8%
  • Clerk
    6%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Alden family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 68,000 census records available for the last name Alden. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Alden census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Alden

Passenger Lists

There are 6,000 immigration records available for the last name Alden. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Alden immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 12,000 military records available for the last name Alden. For the veterans among your Alden ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Alden military records

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What is the average Alden lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Alden life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1951, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Alden in 1944 was 51, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Alden

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