2000
#5,121
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,286
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.33
Rare Last name
Albanese
Of Italian origin, denoting a person from Albania or of Albanian descent.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,880 Americans carry the last name Albanese. That puts it at #5,594 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,819 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Albanese 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Albanese with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.9K
1 in 49,819
Census rank
#5,594
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,000 bearers of the surname Albanese in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5594th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Albanese, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Albanese
The surname Albanese has its origins in Italy, specifically from the regions of Campania, Abruzzo, and Molise. It is derived from the Italian word "albanese," which means "Albanian." The name was initially given to individuals or families who had emigrated from Albania to Italy during the Middle Ages.
The earliest recorded instances of the Albanese surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various Italian documents and records. One notable example is the inclusion of the name in the "Codice Diplomatico Barese," a collection of diplomatic documents from the city of Bari, in the year 1295.
In the 14th century, the Albanese surname appears in the "Codice Diplomatico Pugliese," a compilation of diplomatic documents from the region of Apulia, where the name is mentioned in several land ownership records and legal contracts.
During the Renaissance period, the Albanese family played a significant role in the cultural and political spheres of Italy. One notable figure was Girolamo Albanese (1508-1591), a renowned humanist scholar and philosopher from Naples, who wrote extensively on topics ranging from philosophy to natural sciences.
Another prominent individual with the Albanese surname was Francesco Albanese (1592-1655), a Baroque painter from the city of Viterbo. His works can be found in various churches and galleries across Italy, including the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica in Rome.
In the 18th century, the Albanese family had a strong presence in the Kingdom of Naples, where they held influential positions in the government and military. One such figure was Giuseppe Albanese (1720-1789), a nobleman and military commander who served under the Bourbon dynasty.
The 19th century saw the rise of several notable writers and intellectuals with the Albanese surname. Antonio Albanese (1812-1892) was a prominent Italian philosopher and journalist, known for his contributions to the Risorgimento movement that led to the unification of Italy.
Throughout history, the Albanese surname has been associated with various place names and locations, such as Albanella, a town in the province of Salerno, and Albano Laziale, a municipality near Rome. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Albanese
Among Census respondents with the surname Albanese, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Albanese 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 Albanese surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 5,542
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 264
- Two or more races2.1% · 128
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 41
- Black or African American0.4% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Albanese
Albanese 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
#5,435
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,407
+121 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 2.17
Rank movement Down 314 places
2020
#5,594
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,000
-407 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 2.01
Rank movement Down 159 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,121 | 6,286 | 2.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,435 | 6,407 | 2.17 | +121 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 314 places |
| 2020 | #5,594 | 6,000 | 2.01 | -407 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 159 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 Albanese 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 | #5,435 | #5,594 | -2.9% |
| Count | 6,407 | 6,000 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.17 | 2.01 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Albanese bearers went from 6,407 to 6,000 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 159 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,435 to #5,594.
FAQ
Albanese surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Albanese?
Name Census estimates that about 6,880 living Americans carry the surname Albanese. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,819 residents.
How common is Albanese?
Albanese ranks #5,594 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.01 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 6,000 people with the surname Albanese. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,880), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.01 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 Albanese.
Has Albanese become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Albanese went from 6,407 recorded bearers to 6,000. That is a decrease of 407 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,435 to #5,594.
What does the Census say about the background of Albanese?
Among Census respondents with the surname Albanese, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Albanese in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (5,542 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Albanese appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (4.4%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Albanese (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 Albanese mean?
Of Italian origin, denoting a person from Albania or of Albanian descent. 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 Albanese (2.01 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 are called Albanese?
See how many Americans have the surname Albanese on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.