2010
#116,829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 149
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Alania
A surname of Ossetian origin, derived from the name of the ancient kingdom of Alania in the Caucasus region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Alania. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Alania surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Alania in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Alania, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 77.5%. The next largest groups are White (15.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Alania
The surname ALANIA has its roots in the historical region of Alania, located in the Caucasus mountains between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. This region was once inhabited by the Alans, an Iranian nomadic pastoral people who were closely related to the Ossetians. The name ALANIA is derived from the Alanic word "alan" or "alon", meaning "steppe dweller" or "mountaineer".
The earliest known references to the name ALANIA can be found in ancient Greek and Roman writings, where the region and its people were mentioned. The Greek historian Strabo, in his work "Geographica" written in the 1st century BC, described the Alans as a nomadic people living in the Caucasus region. The Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus, writing in the 4th century AD, also mentioned the Alans in his work "Res Gestae".
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname ALANIA was Atsyz Alania, a 13th-century Alan chieftain who led his people in their resistance against the Mongol invaders. Another notable figure was Batraz Alania, a 14th-century Alan nobleman who served as a military commander in the service of the Golden Horde.
During the Middle Ages, the name ALANIA appeared in various medieval manuscripts and records, particularly those related to the Caucasus region and the Byzantine Empire. The Codex Cumanicus, a 13th-century linguistic codex, includes references to the Alans and their language.
In the 15th century, a prominent figure with the surname ALANIA was Samuil Alania, a wealthy merchant and landowner from the Kingdom of Georgia. He was known for his extensive trade networks and influence in the region.
Another notable individual was Dmitry Alania, a 16th-century Russian explorer and cartographer who is credited with mapping the Alania region and documenting its people and customs. His maps and writings were instrumental in providing valuable information about the area to the Russian Empire.
As the Alans migrated and settled in different parts of Europe and Asia over the centuries, the surname ALANIA took on various spellings and variations, such as Alania, Alanya, Alani, and Alanic. These variations can be found in historical records and documents from various regions, reflecting the spread and adaptation of the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alania
Among Census respondents with the surname Alania, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 77.5%. The next largest groups are White (15.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Alania bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Alania surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino77.5% · 93
- White15.8% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.7% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Alania
Alania appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-29 bearers (-19.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 25,220 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #116,829 | 149 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -29 bearers (-19.5%) | Down 25,220 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Alania surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #116,829 | #142,049 | -21.6% |
| Count | 149 | 120 | -19.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Alania bearers went from 149 to 120 (-19.5% change). The surname moved down 25,220 positions in the national ranking, going from #116,829 to #142,049.
FAQ
Alania surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Alania?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Alania. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Alania?
Alania ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 120 people with the surname Alania. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Alania.
Has Alania become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Alania went from 149 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 29 (-19.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #116,829 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Alania?
Among Census respondents with the surname Alania, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 77.5%. The next largest groups are White (15.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Alania in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.5% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Alania appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (77.5%), White (15.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (6.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Alania (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Alania mean?
A surname of Ossetian origin, derived from the name of the ancient kingdom of Alania in the Caucasus region. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Alania (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Alania?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.