Frequency: (249)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
1. Altered spelling of German Ahl(e)mann, a topographic name, literally meaning ‘swamp man’. Ahle(n) is the name of several places in northern Germany named from their situation by a fen or swamp.
2. Swedish: ornamental name composed of the elements al ‘alder’ + man ‘man’.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
