This surname ALDRICH was derived from the Old English name 'Aelfric' a baptismal name, dating to the 11th century. The name was brought into England in the wake of the Norman Conquest of 1066, and the first of the name on record is Aluric (without surname) listed as a tenant in the Domesday Book of 1086. Early records of the name also mention Hugo Aelurici, 1090, County Suffolk. John filius Aldrich was recorded in County Yorkshire, 1273. William Ailriche, was documented in County Somerset, during the reign of Edward III (1327-1377). Robertus Aldrich of Yorkshire, was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379. John Aldryche was recorded as the bailiff of Yarmouth in the year 1469. Robert Aldrich of Aldridge, Buckinghamshire who died in 1556, was a scholar and divine. Peter Aldrich and Catherine Powell were married in London in the year 1609. The name was also a locational name from Aldridge Grove in Buckinghamshire or from a small spot in County Worcestershire, now extinct. Local names usually denoted where a man held his land, and indicated where he actually lived. The name has numerous variant spellings which include Aldrick, Aldrich, Alldridge, Alleridge, Elderidge and Elrick. In many parts of central and western Europe, hereditary surnames began to become fixed at around the 12th century, and have developed and changed slowly over the years. As society became more complex, and such matters as the management of tenure, and in particular the collection of taxes were delegated to special functionaries, it became imperative to distinguish a more complex system of nomenclature to differentiate one individual from another. The associated arms are recorded in Sir Bernard Burkes General Armory. Ulster King of Arms in 1884. Registered at Ipswich and Oxfordshire. The bulk of European surnames in countries such as England and France were formed in the 13th and 14th centuries. The process started earlier and continued in some places into the 19th century, but the norm is that in the 11th century people did not have surnames, whereas by the 15th century they did.