2000
#10,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,693
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.00
Rare Last name
Alas
A Spanish surname derived from the Castilian Spanish word "alas," meaning "wings," likely referring to a winged emblem.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,650 Americans carry the last name Alas. That puts it at #6,600 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 60,664 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Alas 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
5.7K
1 in 60,664
Census rank
#6,600
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,927 bearers of the surname Alas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6600th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Alas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Alas
The surname Alas is believed to have its origins in Spain, specifically in the Basque region. It is thought to derive from the Basque word "alatz," which means "open space" or "clearing." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived in or near an open area or clearing in a forested or mountainous region.
Historically, the name Alas can be traced back to the medieval period in the Basque region of Spain. While it does not appear in the Domesday Book, which was a record of landowners in England in the 11th century, there are records of the name Alas in various Basque documents and records from the 13th and 14th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Alas was Juan Alas, a merchant who lived in the Basque town of Bilbao in the late 15th century. Another notable individual was Pedro Alas, a Basque soldier who fought in the Spanish Armada against the English in 1588.
In the 17th century, a prominent figure with the surname Alas was Maria Alas, a nun and writer who authored several religious texts and was known for her devotion to the Virgin Mary. She lived in the Basque region from 1620 to 1687.
Moving into the 18th century, there was Francisco Alas, a Basque architect who designed several churches and public buildings in the region between 1725 and 1790.
In the 19th century, a notable individual with the surname Alas was Leopoldo Alas, a Spanish writer and literary critic who was also known by his pen name "Clarín." He was born in 1852 and died in 1901, and was renowned for his novels and essays that explored the social and political issues of his time.
Over the centuries, the surname Alas has spread beyond the Basque region and can now be found in various parts of Spain, as well as in other countries with Spanish heritage or influence. However, its Basque origins and connections to the open spaces and clearings of that region remain an integral part of its history and meaning.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alas
Among Census respondents with the surname Alas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Alas 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 Alas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino91.1% · 4,488
- White4.7% · 234
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 124
- Black or African American1.2% · 58
- Two or more races0.3% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Alas
Alas appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#7,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,358
+1,665 bearers (+61.8%)
Per 100,000 1.48
Rank movement Up 3,244 places
2020
#6,600
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,927
+569 bearers (+13.1%)
Per 100,000 1.65
Rank movement Up 1,019 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,863 | 2,693 | 1.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,619 | 4,358 | 1.48 | +1,665 bearers (+61.8%) | Up 3,244 places |
| 2020 | #6,600 | 4,927 | 1.65 | +569 bearers (+13.1%) | Up 1,019 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 Alas 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 | #7,619 | #6,600 | 13.4% |
| Count | 4,358 | 4,927 | 13.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.48 | 1.65 | 11.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Alas bearers went from 4,358 to 4,927 (+13.1% change). The surname moved up 1,019 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,619 to #6,600.
FAQ
Alas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Alas?
Name Census estimates that about 5,650 living Americans carry the surname Alas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 60,664 residents.
How common is Alas?
Alas ranks #6,600 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.65 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,927 people with the surname Alas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,650), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.65 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Alas.
Has Alas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Alas went from 4,358 recorded bearers to 4,927. That is an increase of 569 (+13.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,619 to #6,600.
What does the Census say about the background of Alas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Alas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 91.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Alas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (4,488 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Alas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (91.1%), White (4.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Alas (2000, 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 Alas mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the Castilian Spanish word "alas," meaning "wings," likely referring to a winged emblem. 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 Alas (1.65 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 common is the surname Alas?
Want to know how common the surname Alas is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.