2010
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Albisu
Basque habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "hill of the forge" or "by the smithy."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Albisu. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Albisu 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Albisu in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Albisu, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 68.5%. The next largest groups are White (29.6%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Albisu
The surname ALBISU is of Basque origin, tracing its roots back to the Basque Country, an autonomous region straddling northern Spain and southwestern France. The name is believed to have emerged sometime in the medieval period, though exact dates are difficult to pinpoint due to the scarcity of historical records from that era.
One of the earliest known references to the ALBISU surname can be found in the "Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla," a collection of medieval manuscripts from the Monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla in La Rioja, Spain. The cartulary, compiled between the 9th and 12th centuries, contains several mentions of individuals bearing the name ALBISU or variations thereof.
The surname ALBISU is thought to be derived from the Basque words "albi" (meaning "town" or "village") and "su" (meaning "fire" or "burning"), potentially referring to a settlement or location that had been damaged or destroyed by fire. Alternatively, it may have originated from a specific place name or topographical feature in the Basque region.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the ALBISU surname was Juan de ALBISU, a Basque nobleman who lived in the 14th century. Juan was a prominent figure in the region and is mentioned in several historical records from that time.
Another notable bearer of the ALBISU name was Martín de ALBISU, a 16th-century Basque priest and scholar. Martín was born in the town of Azpeitia in 1523 and is renowned for his work in translating religious texts into the Basque language.
In the 17th century, Pedro de ALBISU y Arriola (1586-1662) was a prominent lawyer and judge in the Basque Country. He served as a magistrate in the Audiencia de Valladolid, one of the highest judicial bodies in Spain at the time.
Moving into the 18th century, María Ignacia de ALBISU (1719-1782) was a Basque noblewoman and philanthropist. She was known for her charitable works and for founding several educational institutions in the region.
Finally, in the 19th century, Tomás de ALBISU y Echeverría (1817-1896) was a Basque politician and writer. He served as a member of the provincial government in Gipuzkoa and authored several works on Basque history and culture.
While the ALBISU surname is relatively uncommon outside of the Basque region, it has a rich history and cultural significance within the Basque community, reflecting the area's unique linguistic and cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Albisu
Among Census respondents with the surname Albisu, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 68.5%. The next largest groups are White (29.6%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Albisu 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 Albisu surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino68.5% · 74
- White29.6% · 32
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Albisu
Albisu appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-13 bearers (-10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,631 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-10.7%) | Down 12,631 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 Albisu 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 | #138,304 | #150,935 | -9.1% |
| Count | 121 | 108 | -10.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Albisu bearers went from 121 to 108 (-10.7% change). The surname moved down 12,631 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #150,935.
FAQ
Albisu surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Albisu?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Albisu. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Albisu?
Albisu ranks #150,935 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 108 people with the surname Albisu. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Albisu.
Has Albisu become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Albisu went from 121 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 13 (-10.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Albisu?
Among Census respondents with the surname Albisu, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 68.5%. The next largest groups are White (29.6%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Albisu in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.5% (74 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Albisu appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (68.5%), White (29.6%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Albisu (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 Albisu mean?
Basque habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "hill of the forge" or "by the smithy." 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 Albisu (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Albisu?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.