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

Alft, 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 Alft surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Alft in America

Alft is the 102688th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Alft surname appeared 175 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 Alft.

We can also compare 2010 data for Alft 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 Alft

The surname ALFT is believed to have originated in Germany, specifically in the northern regions near the North Sea coast. It likely emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Old German word "alf," which means "elf" or "supernatural being."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the ALFT surname can be found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bremen, dating back to the 14th century. The name is also mentioned in the Kämmereibücher, the financial records of the city of Hamburg, from the 15th century.

In the 16th century, a notable figure named Hans ALFT was a merchant and businessman in the Hanseatic League, a powerful economic alliance of merchant guilds and market towns in Northern Europe. He was born in Lübeck in 1529 and lived until 1602.

Another prominent individual with the ALFT surname was Gerhard ALFT, a German theologian and professor at the University of Rostock in the 17th century. He was born in 1623 and died in 1681.

In the 18th century, a place called Alfterdingen, located in the region of Lower Saxony, Germany, was mentioned in historical records. This place name may have some connection to the ALFT surname, possibly indicating a geographic origin or association.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the ALFT surname in England can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, where a certain Johann ALFT is listed as having been married in 1712.

In the 19th century, a notable figure was Friedrich ALFT, a German philosopher and professor at the University of Berlin. He was born in 1811 and died in 1890.

It is important to note that while these examples provide insights into the potential origins and historical occurrences of the ALFT surname, the information presented here is based on limited available records and may not be exhaustive or entirely accurate.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Alft

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

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 Alft 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 Alft 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 Alft was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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