2000
#13,957
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,984
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Alber
Derived from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements adal, meaning "noble," and ber, meaning "bear."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,198 Americans carry the last name Alber. That puts it at #14,840 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 155,939 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Alber 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
2.2K
1 in 155,939
Census rank
#14,840
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,917 bearers of the surname Alber in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14840th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Alber, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Alber
The surname Alber is believed to have originated in Germany, and it can be traced back to the Middle Ages. The name is thought to be derived from the Germanic personal name Albero, which itself comes from the Old High German word "alb" meaning "elf" or "supernatural being."
In its earliest forms, the name was often spelled as Albere or Albern in various regions of Germany. It is possible that the name was first associated with someone who was believed to have elf-like or otherworldly characteristics or appearance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Alber can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, which mentions an individual named Albero de Woldenberg in the year 1233.
Another early reference to the name is found in the Urkundenbuch der Stadt Hildesheim, a collection of documents from the city of Hildesheim, which records a person named Henricus Alber in 1284.
In the 14th century, the name appears in the Urkundenbuch des Hochstifts Halberstadt, a collection of documents from the Prince-Bishopric of Halberstadt, where a certain Johannes Alber is mentioned in 1362.
A notable bearer of the surname Alber was Erasmus Alber (1500-1553), a German theologian and Protestant reformer who was a close associate of Martin Luther. He played a significant role in the Reformation movement and authored several influential works on theology and religious doctrine.
Another prominent individual with the surname was Johannes Alber (1499-1552), a German humanist and Protestant theologian who was also involved in the Reformation. He served as a professor at the University of Tübingen and wrote numerous works on theology, philosophy, and education.
In the realm of art, the name is associated with Albrecht Alber (1548-1594), a German painter and engraver who was active in the late Renaissance period. His works are housed in various museums and collections across Europe.
It is worth mentioning that the surname Alber has also been found in various spellings, such as Albers, Albrecht, and Alberty, in different regions of Germany and neighboring countries over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alber
Among Census respondents with the surname Alber, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Alber 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 Alber surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 1,745
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 63
- Two or more races3.3% · 63
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 25
- Black or African American0.8% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Alber
Alber 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
#14,695
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,023
+39 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 738 places
2020
#14,840
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,917
-106 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 145 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,957 | 1,984 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,695 | 2,023 | 0.69 | +39 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 738 places |
| 2020 | #14,840 | 1,917 | 0.64 | -106 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 145 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 Alber 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 | #14,695 | #14,840 | -1.0% |
| Count | 2,023 | 1,917 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.64 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Alber bearers went from 2,023 to 1,917 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 145 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,695 to #14,840.
FAQ
Alber surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Alber?
Name Census estimates that about 2,198 living Americans carry the surname Alber. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 155,939 residents.
How common is Alber?
Alber ranks #14,840 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 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 1,917 people with the surname Alber. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,198), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 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 Alber.
Has Alber become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Alber went from 2,023 recorded bearers to 1,917. That is a decrease of 106 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,695 to #14,840.
What does the Census say about the background of Alber?
Among Census respondents with the surname Alber, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Alber in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (1,745 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Alber appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Alber (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 Alber mean?
Derived from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements adal, meaning "noble," and ber, meaning "bear." 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 Alber (0.64 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 share the surname Alber?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.