2000
#123,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Albaum
A Jewish surname derived from the Yiddish word "album," meaning "white" or "bright."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Albaum. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Albaum 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Albaum in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Albaum, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Albaum
The surname Albaum is believed to have originated in Germany, likely in the 17th or 18th century. It is derived from the German words "Alb" meaning hill or mountain, and "Baum" meaning tree, suggesting a connection to a particular geographic location or landscape feature. This combination of words may have been used to identify a person who lived near a specific hill or group of trees.
One of the earliest known references to the name Albaum can be found in the records of the city of Augsburg, Germany, dating back to the late 1600s. It is possible that the name was also present in other parts of southern Germany during this time period. Some variations in spelling, such as Albbaum or Albbaume, may have existed in different regions.
In the 19th century, the name Albaum appeared in various German records and documents, including birth, marriage, and death registers. Johann Albaum, born in 1812 in the town of Neustadt, was a notable figure who served as a local magistrate and landowner. Another individual, Anna Albaum (1835-1901), was a respected teacher and author of educational books for children.
As German immigration to other parts of the world increased in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the surname Albaum began to spread to other countries. One prominent example is Karl Albaum (1877-1958), a German-American engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of early aerospace technology.
In the United Kingdom, the name Albaum can be traced back to the late 18th century, with some records suggesting a connection to the town of Albaum in the county of Cheshire. Robert Albaum (1792-1865) was a notable English businessman and landowner who owned several estates in the region.
While not a widespread surname, the name Albaum has been present throughout history in various parts of Europe and, later, in other countries as well. Its origins can be traced back to the German language and a potential association with specific geographic features or locations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Albaum
Among Census respondents with the surname Albaum, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Albaum 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 Albaum surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 115
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 5
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Albaum
Albaum 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
#129,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
+2 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,511 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-10 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,484 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #123,314 | 129 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,825 | 131 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 6,511 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 11,484 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 Albaum 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 | #129,825 | #141,309 | -8.8% |
| Count | 131 | 121 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Albaum bearers went from 131 to 121 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 11,484 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,825 to #141,309.
FAQ
Albaum surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Albaum?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Albaum. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Albaum?
Albaum ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Albaum. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Albaum.
Has Albaum become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Albaum went from 131 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 10 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,825 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Albaum?
Among Census respondents with the surname Albaum, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Albaum in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Albaum appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Albaum (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 Albaum mean?
A Jewish surname derived from the Yiddish word "album," meaning "white" or "bright." 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 Albaum (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 Albaum?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.