Frequency: (177)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
Origin uncertain; perhaps a respelling of German Altgeld, a nickname for a miser or money changer, from Middle High German alt ‘old’ + geld ‘money’.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
