2000
#7,026
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,398
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.63
Rare Last name
Alberto
Derived from the Germanic name Adalbert, meaning "noble and bright," which later evolved into the Italian surname Alberto.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,628 Americans carry the last name Alberto. That puts it at #5,104 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 44,934 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Alberto 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 Alberto with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.6K
1 in 44,934
Census rank
#5,104
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,652 bearers of the surname Alberto in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5104th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Alberto, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 74.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (12.0%) and White (11.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Alberto
The surname ALBERTO originated in Italy during medieval times. It is a patronymic surname derived from the given name Alberto, which itself is the Italian form of the Germanic name Adalbert, meaning "noble bright". The earliest recorded instances of the surname date back to the 12th century in regions like Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna.
Records from the 13th century mention an Alberto da Siena, a nobleman and military leader from Siena, who played a role in the city's conflicts with neighboring Florence. Another early bearer of the name was Albertino Mussato, a renowned poet and historian from Padua who lived from 1261 to 1329.
In the 14th century, the ALBERTO surname appeared in historical documents such as the Codice Diplomatico dell'Università di Pavia, which mentions an Alberto da Pavia, a scholar and teacher at the University of Pavia. Around the same time, the Florentine merchant and statesman Alberto Acciaiuoli (1315-1366) rose to prominence.
As the surname spread across Italy, it took on various regional spellings like Alberti, Albertini, and Albertoni. One notable bearer was Leon Battista Alberti (1404-1472), a Renaissance humanist, author, artist, architect, and polymath from Genoa.
In the 16th century, the ALBERTO surname gained further recognition with figures like the Venetian painter Cherubino Alberti (1553-1615) and the Roman architect and sculptor Alessandro Alberti (1551-1596).
While the surname has its roots in Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration. Some other notable bearers include the Mexican painter and printmaker Rafael Alberti (1902-1999), the Spanish writer and poet Rafael Alberti (1902-1999), and the Italian-American physicist Alberto Callasó (1924-2012).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alberto
Among Census respondents with the surname Alberto, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 74.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (12.0%) and White (11.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Alberto 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 Alberto surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino74.4% · 4,949
- Asian and Pacific Islander12.0% · 795
- White11.0% · 729
- Black or African American1.3% · 88
- Two or more races1.2% · 83
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Alberto
Alberto 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
#5,335
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,528
+2,130 bearers (+48.4%)
Per 100,000 2.21
Rank movement Up 1,691 places
2020
#5,104
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,652
+124 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 2.23
Rank movement Up 231 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,026 | 4,398 | 1.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,335 | 6,528 | 2.21 | +2,130 bearers (+48.4%) | Up 1,691 places |
| 2020 | #5,104 | 6,652 | 2.23 | +124 bearers (+1.9%) | Up 231 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 Alberto 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 | #5,335 | #5,104 | 4.3% |
| Count | 6,528 | 6,652 | 1.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.21 | 2.23 | 0.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Alberto bearers went from 6,528 to 6,652 (+1.9% change). The surname moved up 231 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,335 to #5,104.
FAQ
Alberto surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Alberto?
Name Census estimates that about 7,628 living Americans carry the surname Alberto. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 44,934 residents.
How common is Alberto?
Alberto ranks #5,104 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.23 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 6,652 people with the surname Alberto. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,628), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.23 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 Alberto.
Has Alberto become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Alberto went from 6,528 recorded bearers to 6,652. That is an increase of 124 (+1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,335 to #5,104.
What does the Census say about the background of Alberto?
Among Census respondents with the surname Alberto, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 74.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (12.0%) and White (11.0%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Alberto in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.4% (4,949 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Alberto appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (74.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (12.0%), White (11.0%). 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 Alberto (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 Alberto mean?
Derived from the Germanic name Adalbert, meaning "noble and bright," which later evolved into the Italian surname Alberto. 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 Alberto (2.23 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 Alberto?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Alberto on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.