This surname 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 Alwright of Aldridge, Buckinghamshire who died in 1556, was a scholar and divine. Peter Aldricht 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. During the Middle Ages, when people were unable to read or write, signs were needed for all visual identification. For several centuries city streets in Britain were filled with signs of all kinds, public houses, tradesmen and even private householders found them necessary. This was an age when there were no numbered houses, and an address was a descriptive phrase that made use of a convenient landmark. At this time, coats of arms came into being, for the practical reason that men went into battle heavily armed and were difficult to recognise. It became the custom for them to adorn their helmets with distinctive crests, and to paint their shields with animals and the like. Coats of arms accompanied the development of surnames, becoming hereditary in the same way. The associated arms are recorded in Sir Bernard Burkes General Armory. Ulster King of Arms in 1884. Registered at Ipswich and Oxfordshire