2000
#11,333
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,557
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.95
Rare Last name
Alkire
A surname of Scottish origin, derived from a place name meaning "rock of the heron."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,710 Americans carry the last name Alkire. That puts it at #12,523 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 126,478 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Alkire 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
2.7K
1 in 126,478
Census rank
#12,523
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,363 bearers of the surname Alkire in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12523rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Alkire, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Alkire
The surname Alkire is believed to have originated in Germany, with its earliest known roots dating back to the 16th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Old German word "alker," which means "alder tree" or "alder grove." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or worked with alder trees.
In the early records, the name was often spelled in various ways, such as Alker, Alcker, and Alkier, reflecting the regional dialects and phonetic variations of the time. One of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in the town records of Worms, Germany, where a certain Hans Alcker was mentioned in 1563.
As people migrated across Europe, the name spread to other regions, including the Netherlands and eventually to the Americas. One notable bearer of the name was Johann Alkier, a German-born immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania in the late 17th century and is considered one of the earliest known Alkires in the American colonies.
Throughout the centuries, the Alkire name has been associated with various occupations and professions. In the 18th century, there was a record of a Wilhelm Alkier, a respected blacksmith in the town of Heidelberg, Germany. In the 19th century, a prominent figure was David Alkire, an American businessman and politician who served as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives from 1842 to 1844.
Another noteworthy individual was Clara Alkire, a renowned educator and author who lived from 1872 to 1958. She wrote several books on teaching methods and was widely recognized for her contributions to the field of education.
In the 20th century, one of the most well-known bearers of the Alkire name was Lester Alkire, an American aviator and explorer who participated in several Arctic and Antarctic expeditions. He was born in 1899 and played a significant role in the exploration of remote regions.
While the Alkire surname may not be as widely recognized as some other names, its rich history and diverse bearers have left an indelible mark across various fields and regions throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alkire
Among Census respondents with the surname Alkire, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Alkire 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 Alkire surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 2,111
- Two or more races4.1% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 89
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 35
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 17
- Black or African American0.6% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Alkire
Alkire 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
#11,818
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,648
+91 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 485 places
2020
#12,523
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,363
-285 bearers (-10.8%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 705 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,333 | 2,557 | 0.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,818 | 2,648 | 0.90 | +91 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 485 places |
| 2020 | #12,523 | 2,363 | 0.79 | -285 bearers (-10.8%) | Down 705 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 Alkire 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 | #11,818 | #12,523 | -6.0% |
| Count | 2,648 | 2,363 | -10.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.79 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Alkire bearers went from 2,648 to 2,363 (-10.8% change). The surname moved down 705 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,818 to #12,523.
FAQ
Alkire surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Alkire?
Name Census estimates that about 2,710 living Americans carry the surname Alkire. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 126,478 residents.
How common is Alkire?
Alkire ranks #12,523 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,363 people with the surname Alkire. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,710), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Alkire.
Has Alkire become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Alkire went from 2,648 recorded bearers to 2,363. That is a decrease of 285 (-10.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,818 to #12,523.
What does the Census say about the background of Alkire?
Among Census respondents with the surname Alkire, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (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 Alkire in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (2,111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Alkire appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (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 Alkire (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 Alkire mean?
A surname of Scottish origin, derived from a place name meaning "rock of the heron." 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 Alkire (0.79 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 Alkire?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.