2000
#3,435
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,531
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.53
Uncommon Last name
Albers
Derived from the German name Albert, meaning "noble" or "bright."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,678 Americans carry the last name Albers. That puts it at #3,712 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,099 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Albers 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
11K
1 in 32,099
Census rank
#3,712
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.3K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,312 bearers of the surname Albers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3712th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Albers, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Albers
The surname Albers has its origins in the Low German language, and it is believed to have originated in the northern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around Hamburg and Bremen. The name is derived from the Old Saxon word "alb," which means "elf" or "goblin."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Albers can be traced back to the 13th century, when it appeared in various medieval documents. In the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical records from the city of Bremen, there are mentions of individuals with the surname Albers as early as the year 1282.
The name Albers may have also been associated with certain place names or geographical locations. For instance, there is a village called Albersdorf in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, which could have contributed to the spread and popularity of the name in that region.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Albers. One prominent figure was Josef Albers (1888-1976), a renowned German-American artist and educator who is best known for his contributions to the Bauhaus movement and his influential color theory teachings.
Another significant individual with the surname Albers was Willem Albers (1892-1955), a Dutch mathematician and physicist who made important contributions to the field of topology and functional analysis.
In the realm of literature, Wulf Albers (1919-1983) was a German writer and poet who gained recognition for his works exploring themes of war, resistance, and the human condition.
The name Albers has also been associated with notable individuals in the field of sports. One example is Sven Albers (born 1974), a German former professional tennis player who achieved a career-high ranking of No. 28 in the world.
Additionally, Arjen Alberts (born 1985) is a Dutch professional football player who has played for various clubs in the Netherlands and abroad.
While the surname Albers has its origins in northern Germany, it has since spread across various parts of the world, particularly through migration and immigration patterns. However, the name continues to hold a strong connection to its historical roots and the cultural heritage of the regions where it first emerged.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Albers
Among Census respondents with the surname Albers, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Albers 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 Albers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 8,720
- Two or more races2.4% · 225
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 211
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 71
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 46
- Black or African American0.4% · 39
Timeline
Historical Census data for Albers
Albers 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
#3,638
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,766
+235 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 3.31
Rank movement Down 203 places
2020
#3,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,312
-454 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 3.12
Rank movement Down 74 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,435 | 9,531 | 3.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,638 | 9,766 | 3.31 | +235 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 203 places |
| 2020 | #3,712 | 9,312 | 3.12 | -454 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 74 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 Albers 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 | #3,638 | #3,712 | -2.0% |
| Count | 9,766 | 9,312 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 3.31 | 3.12 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Albers bearers went from 9,766 to 9,312 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 74 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,638 to #3,712.
FAQ
Albers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Albers?
Name Census estimates that about 10,678 living Americans carry the surname Albers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,099 residents.
How common is Albers?
Albers ranks #3,712 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.12 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,312 people with the surname Albers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,678), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.12 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Albers.
Has Albers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Albers went from 9,766 recorded bearers to 9,312. That is a decrease of 454 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,638 to #3,712.
What does the Census say about the background of Albers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Albers, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Albers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (8,720 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Albers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Two or More Races (2.4%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Albers (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 Albers mean?
Derived from the German name Albert, meaning "noble" 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 Albers (3.12 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 Albers?
Find out how common the surname Albers is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.