2000
#12,305
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,317
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.86
Rare Last name
Albee
Derived from the Old English personal name Æthelbeald, meaning "noble and bold."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,486 Americans carry the last name Albee. That puts it at #13,429 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 137,874 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Albee 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
2.5K
1 in 137,874
Census rank
#13,429
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,168 bearers of the surname Albee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13429th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Albee, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Albee
The surname Albee has its origins in England, dating back to the early medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "ælbitu," which means "meadow dweller" or "someone living near a stream." This suggests that the name was originally an occupational surname or a descriptive name given to individuals who lived in rural areas near meadows or streams.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Albee can be found in various historical records and documents from the 13th century onwards. One notable example is the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275, which lists an individual named Richard Albee. Additionally, the Hundred Rolls of 1273 mention a person with the surname Albee in the county of Essex.
In terms of historical references, the name Albee appears in several old manuscripts and records. For instance, the Domesday Book, a renowned survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, includes the name Albee as a landowner in the county of Buckinghamshire.
Over the centuries, the surname Albee has been subject to various spelling variations, including Alby, Albie, and Albey. These variations often reflect regional dialect differences or scribal errors in historical records.
One notable figure in history who bore the surname Albee was Robert Albee, a prominent English clergyman born in 1620. He served as the Bishop of Salisbury from 1681 until his death in 1690. Another individual of note was Sir John Albee (1615-1687), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Buckingham in the late 17th century.
In the United States, a prominent figure with the surname Albee was Edward Franklin Albee (1857-1920), an American playwright and dramatist best known for his works "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and "A Delicate Balance." Albee was born in Virginia and is considered one of the greatest American playwrights of the 20th century.
Another individual of historical significance was Thomas Albee (1800-1871), an American mariner and sea captain from Massachusetts. He is credited with establishing one of the earliest whaling stations in the Pacific Northwest and played a significant role in the development of the whaling industry in that region.
The surname Albee has also been associated with several notable military figures throughout history. One such individual was Major General Everett S. Albee (1898-1971), a highly decorated American Army officer who served in both World War I and World War II. He received numerous commendations, including the Distinguished Service Cross and the Silver Star, for his bravery and leadership during combat operations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Albee
Among Census respondents with the surname Albee, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Albee 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 Albee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 1,986
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 69
- Two or more races3.0% · 65
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 24
- Black or African American0.6% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Albee
Albee 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
#12,587
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,459
+142 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 282 places
2020
#13,429
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,168
-291 bearers (-11.8%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 842 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,305 | 2,317 | 0.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,587 | 2,459 | 0.83 | +142 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 282 places |
| 2020 | #13,429 | 2,168 | 0.73 | -291 bearers (-11.8%) | Down 842 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 Albee 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 | #12,587 | #13,429 | -6.7% |
| Count | 2,459 | 2,168 | -11.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.73 | -12.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Albee bearers went from 2,459 to 2,168 (-11.8% change). The surname moved down 842 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,587 to #13,429.
FAQ
Albee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Albee?
Name Census estimates that about 2,486 living Americans carry the surname Albee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 137,874 residents.
How common is Albee?
Albee ranks #13,429 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,168 people with the surname Albee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,486), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Albee.
Has Albee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Albee went from 2,459 recorded bearers to 2,168. That is a decrease of 291 (-11.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,587 to #13,429.
What does the Census say about the background of Albee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Albee, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Albee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (1,986 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Albee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Albee (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 Albee mean?
Derived from the Old English personal name Æthelbeald, meaning "noble and bold." 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 Albee (0.73 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 Albee?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Albee, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.