Find out how popular the last name Alem is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Alem.

Alem, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Alem surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Alem in America

Alem is the 59017th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Alem surname appeared 343 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Alem.

We can also compare 2010 data for Alem to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Alem

The surname ALEM has its origins in the Middle East, specifically in the Arabic-speaking regions. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 8th to 10th centuries AD.

The name ALEM is derived from the Arabic word 'Alam,' which means 'world' or 'universe.' This suggests that the name may have been initially given to individuals who possessed a broad understanding of the world or had a global perspective.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname ALEM can be found in historical documents from the Abbasid Caliphate, which ruled over a vast territory spanning parts of the Middle East, North Africa, and the Iberian Peninsula.

During the Abbasid era, a prominent scholar named Alem al-Din (1192-1262) gained recognition for his contributions to the fields of mathematics and astronomy. He is believed to be one of the earliest individuals to bear the surname ALEM.

In the 13th century, the name ALEM appeared in various manuscripts and records from the region, sometimes spelled as 'Aalem' or 'Alim,' reflecting the regional variations in Arabic dialects.

As the centuries passed, the surname ALEM spread to different parts of the world due to migration and trade routes. One notable figure was Alem Khan (1668-1736), a military leader in the Mughal Empire who played a significant role in the conquest of the Deccan region in India.

In the Ottoman Empire, which spanned parts of the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and North Africa, the name ALEM was also present. A famous example is Alem Pasha (1785-1853), an Ottoman statesman and diplomat who served as the Grand Vizier (prime minister) of the empire.

As the ALEM surname spread across different regions, it underwent various spelling variations, such as 'Aalem,' 'Alim,' and 'Alemi,' reflecting the linguistic and cultural influences of the areas where it was adopted.

Other notable individuals with the surname ALEM include Alem Bey (1880-1943), an Egyptian politician and diplomat who served as the Prime Minister of Egypt in the early 20th century, and Alem Gabr (1936-2018), an Egyptian writer and journalist renowned for his contributions to Arabic literature.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Alem

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Alem.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Alem was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Alem has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Alem was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Alem, please contact us.

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