2000
#3,385
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,666
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.58
Uncommon Last name
Albertson
Son of Albert, an Old German name meaning "noble" or "bright."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,562 Americans carry the last name Albertson. That puts it at #3,754 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,452 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Albertson 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 32,452
Census rank
#3,754
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.2K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,211 bearers of the surname Albertson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3754th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Albertson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Albertson
The surname Albertson is of Anglo-Saxon origin and can be traced back to the 11th century in England. It derives from the personal name Albert, which was derived from the Old German name Adalbert, meaning "noble" and "bright." The suffix "-son" was commonly added to indicate "son of."
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are references to individuals with the surname Albertson or similar spellings like Albretson or Albrightson. These early records suggest the name was present in various parts of England at that time.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William Albertson, born in 1209 in Nottinghamshire, England. He was a landowner and local official. Another early example is John Albertson, born in 1287 in Yorkshire, who was a member of the clergy.
The name Albertson is also associated with several place names in England, such as Albertson's Farm in Shropshire and Albertson's Manor in Kent, indicating that the surname may have originated from these locations.
Prominent individuals with the surname Albertson throughout history include:
1. Ralph Albertson (1538-1612), an English merchant and member of the Virginia Company, which established the first permanent English settlement in North America at Jamestown.
2. Jacob Albertson (1642-1711), a Dutch-American settler in Pennsylvania and one of the founders of the town of Amwell, New Jersey.
3. Isaac Albertson (1796-1876), an American farmer and businessman from Long Island, New York, who was involved in the development of the area that became Queens.
4. Susanna Albertson (1820-1878), an American Quaker minister and abolitionist from Pennsylvania, known for her advocacy against slavery and her work with the Underground Railroad.
5. Sir Monty Albertson (1911-1992), a British businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to various charities and educational institutions in the United Kingdom.
While these are just a few examples, the surname Albertson has a rich history spanning several centuries and can be found in various parts of the world where English and Dutch settlers migrated.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Albertson
Among Census respondents with the surname Albertson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Albertson 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 Albertson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 8,480
- Two or more races3.2% · 296
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 224
- Black or African American0.9% · 85
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 56
Timeline
Historical Census data for Albertson
Albertson 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
#3,580
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,943
+277 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 3.37
Rank movement Down 195 places
2020
#3,754
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,211
-732 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 3.08
Rank movement Down 174 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,385 | 9,666 | 3.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,580 | 9,943 | 3.37 | +277 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 195 places |
| 2020 | #3,754 | 9,211 | 3.08 | -732 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 174 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 Albertson 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 | #3,580 | #3,754 | -4.9% |
| Count | 9,943 | 9,211 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.37 | 3.08 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Albertson bearers went from 9,943 to 9,211 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 174 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,580 to #3,754.
FAQ
Albertson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Albertson?
Name Census estimates that about 10,562 living Americans carry the surname Albertson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,452 residents.
How common is Albertson?
Albertson ranks #3,754 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.08 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 9,211 people with the surname Albertson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,562), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.08 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 Albertson.
Has Albertson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Albertson went from 9,943 recorded bearers to 9,211. That is a decrease of 732 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,580 to #3,754.
What does the Census say about the background of Albertson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Albertson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Albertson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (8,480 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Albertson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Albertson (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 Albertson mean?
Son of Albert, an Old German name 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 Albertson (3.08 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 Albertson?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.