# Alfred (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/alfred/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname originating as a patronymic.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | English |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 6,490 |
| US rank (2010) | 5,364 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 47,573 people |
| Change since 2000 | +14% (5,682 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈælfɹəd/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

From Middle English Alfred, from Old English Ælfrǣd, from ælf (“elf”) + rǣd (“counsel”). Doublet of Alfredo and Avery. Equivalent to elf + rede. The modern pronunciation with /f/ is a spelling pronunciation; the name in Old English was pronounced with [v], as shown in its Middle English descendant Alured (in which u stands for modern v).

## Who carries it

Share of people named Alfred in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 30% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 59% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.9% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 3.5% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.4% |
| Two or more races | 3.1% |

## Similar surnames

Alford, Alvord, Alfaro, Alfieri, Alfrey, Alferez, Alvarez, Alvarado, Albert, Albright, Albrecht, Albertson.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.