Explore the Family Name Audrey

The meaning of Audrey

English: 1. (of Norman origin): habitational name from Audrieu in Calvados, France, recorded as Aldreium in 1108. 2. from the Middle English female personal name Aldrith, which sometimes became Audrey by a 15th-century pronunciation change of /ald/ to /aud/. It derives from one of three Old English female personal names, Æthelthrȳth ‘noble strength’, Ælfthrȳth ‘elf strength’, and Ealhthrȳth ‘temple strength’. The most popular was Æthelthrȳth, commonly Latinized as Etheldreda and appearing in various Middle English forms such as Atheldrith(e), Aildrith, Aldreth, Etheldred, and Eldrid(e). It was borne by a Christian saint, Saint Etheldred (later known also as Saint Audrey), Queen of Northumbria, daughter of Anna, king of East Anglia. She was the founder and first abbess of the monastery at Ely in about 672, and her continuing cult after the Norman Conquest was probably responsible for the survival of the personal name well into the 14th century.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Audrey in the United States?

Popularity: Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname "Audrey" has seen a drop in popularity from 2000 to 2010. Ranked at 89,172 in 2000, it fell to 100,791 in 2010, which is a decline of 13.03%. The number of people carrying this surname also decreased during this period, with the count going from 193 in 2000 to 179 in 2010, showing a 7.25% decrease. The proportion per 100,000 people also fell by 14.29%, moving from 0.07 in 2000 to 0.06 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#89,172#100,791-13.03%
Count193179-7.25%
Proportion per 100k0.070.06-14.29%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Audrey

Ethnicity: According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the ethnic identity associated with the surname Audrey has seen some changes from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, 51.30% of Audreys identified as White but that number dropped to 46.93% in 2010, marking an 8.52% decrease. Meanwhile, the percentage of Blacks with the surname Audrey saw a slight increase from 44.04% in 2000 to 44.69% in 2010, a growth of 1.48%. A new ethnicity appeared in the 2010 data, with 5.59% identifying as Hispanic. No Audrey identified as Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either year.

20002010Change
White51.3%46.93%-8.52%
Black44.04%44.69%1.48%
Hispanic0%5.59%0%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
Two or More Races0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%