Alder
Usually a local surname for someone who lived by an alder tree or alder grove.
The #8,485 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 79,471 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is generally explained as a habitation name from Old English words for the alder tree. In medieval records it appears in forms like atte Nalder or atte Alder, literally meaning “at the alder-tree.” The name may have arisen for someone who lived near a distinctive alder tree, alder grove, or similar local feature.
History
English records show early medieval forms of the name and its close relatives, with Bardsley and Harrison both treating it as a local surname. Later spellings sometimes added or dropped a final -s, and some examples may reflect plural or genitive forms. The surname remained in use in Britain and later appears in North America as well.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Alder belongs to a common English surname pattern based on a place-description, like Ash, Birch, and Nash.
From the historical record
“tTie river-name may be for Gae\.(amhuinn) an-fheam (fh mute) = (river) of the alder] NAISH, a diphthongized form of Nash, q.v. N ALDER (Eng.) a contr. of Atte Nalder or”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)