2000
#5,299
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,047
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.24
Rare Last name
Alger
A French habitational surname derived from any of the various places named Alger, meaning "pilgrim" or "descendent of Adalger."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,844 Americans carry the last name Alger. That puts it at #5,617 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 50,081 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Alger 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 Alger with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.8K
1 in 50,081
Census rank
#5,617
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,968 bearers of the surname Alger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5617th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Alger, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Alger
The surname Alger is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "ald" meaning "old" and "gara" meaning "triangular piece of land." This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived on or near an old triangular-shaped piece of land or field.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Alger can be found in various medieval records and manuscripts. In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several entries for individuals with the surname Alger or similar variations like Algere and Algare.
One notable early bearer of the name was Sir William Alger, a knight who fought alongside King Richard I in the Third Crusade during the late 12th century. Another was John Alger, a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of London who lived in the 14th century.
The surname Alger also has connections to various place names in England, such as Algar's Farm in Wiltshire and Alger's Hill in Dorset. These place names likely derived from individuals with the surname Alger who lived or owned land in those areas.
In the 16th century, the name Alger was associated with the Puritan movement in England. One notable figure was Thomas Alger, a Puritan minister who was born in 1616 and later emigrated to New England in the 1630s, settling in Massachusetts.
Another significant bearer of the name was Horatio Alger Jr. (1832-1899), an American novelist and writer famous for his popular juvenile fiction stories depicting young boys overcoming adversity and achieving success through hard work and perseverance.
Other notable individuals with the surname Alger include Russell Alger (1836-1907), an American politician and businessman who served as the 20th United States Secretary of War under President William McKinley, and Philip Alger (1892-1967), an American diplomat and author who served as the United States Ambassador to Belgium and Pakistan.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alger
Among Census respondents with the surname Alger, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Alger 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 Alger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 5,327
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 231
- Two or more races3.8% · 227
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 108
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 43
- Black or African American0.5% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Alger
Alger 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
#5,516
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,306
+259 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 2.14
Rank movement Down 217 places
2020
#5,617
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,968
-338 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 2.00
Rank movement Down 101 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,299 | 6,047 | 2.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,516 | 6,306 | 2.14 | +259 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 217 places |
| 2020 | #5,617 | 5,968 | 2.00 | -338 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 101 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 Alger 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 | #5,516 | #5,617 | -1.8% |
| Count | 6,306 | 5,968 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.14 | 2.00 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Alger bearers went from 6,306 to 5,968 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 101 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,516 to #5,617.
FAQ
Alger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Alger?
Name Census estimates that about 6,844 living Americans carry the surname Alger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 50,081 residents.
How common is Alger?
Alger ranks #5,617 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.00 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 5,968 people with the surname Alger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,844), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.00 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 Alger.
Has Alger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Alger went from 6,306 recorded bearers to 5,968. That is a decrease of 338 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,516 to #5,617.
What does the Census say about the background of Alger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Alger, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Alger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (5,327 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Alger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Alger (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 Alger mean?
A French habitational surname derived from any of the various places named Alger, meaning "pilgrim" or "descendent of Adalger." 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 Alger (2.00 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 Alger?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Alger on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.