2000
#8,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,430
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.27
Rare Last name
Alleyne
Derived from the Gaelic "O'Ailín," meaning "descendant of Ailín," a personal name meaning "little rock" or "harmony."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,888 Americans carry the last name Alleyne. That puts it at #7,525 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 70,122 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Alleyne 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 Alleyne with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.9K
1 in 70,122
Census rank
#7,525
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,263 bearers of the surname Alleyne in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7525th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Alleyne, the largest self-reported group is Black at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.9%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Alleyne
The surname ALLEYNE originated in England and traces its roots back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French personal name "Alain," which itself is a version of the Germanic name "Alwin" or "Alewyn," meaning "noble friend."
The name ALLEYNE first appeared in historical records in the 13th century, with early spellings including Alleyn, Alleyne, Allyn, and Alyn. One of the earliest documented instances is in the Rotuli Hundredorum, a census conducted in England in 1274-1275, which mentions a William Alleyn from Oxfordshire.
The ALLEYNE surname is closely associated with the town of Caunton in Nottinghamshire, where a family of this name held lands and properties from the 13th century onwards. The Alleyne family was prominent in this area, and their name is recorded in various medieval documents and charters.
In the 14th century, a notable figure bearing the ALLEYNE surname was John Alleyne, a wealthy landowner and wool merchant from Oxfordshire, who lived from around 1320 to 1390. He played a significant role in the wool trade between England and Flanders.
Another prominent individual was Edward Alleyne (1566-1626), an English actor and founder of Dulwich College in London. He amassed a considerable fortune through his theatrical career and used it to establish the college as a charitable institution for the education of underprivileged children.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, a figure of historical importance was Thomas Alleyne (1628-1703), a colonel in the Parliamentarian army. He fought alongside Oliver Cromwell and played a pivotal role in several battles, including the Battle of Naseby in 1645.
In the realm of literature, the ALLEYNE surname is associated with the playwright and poet Fulke Greville, Lord Brooke (1554-1628), whose full name was Fulke Greville, Lord Brooke of Beauchamp Court, Warwickshire. He was a prominent figure in the court of Queen Elizabeth I and is considered one of the most significant poets of the Elizabethan era.
The ALLEYNE surname has also been linked to various place names, such as Alleyne's Green in Hertfordshire and Alleyne's Farm in Warwickshire, which were likely named after individuals or families bearing this surname in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alleyne
Among Census respondents with the surname Alleyne, the largest self-reported group is Black at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.9%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Alleyne 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 Alleyne surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American81.5% · 3,475
- Hispanic or Latino7.9% · 336
- Two or more races5.8% · 249
- White3.8% · 164
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Alleyne
Alleyne 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
#7,950
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,163
+733 bearers (+21.4%)
Per 100,000 1.41
Rank movement Up 847 places
2020
#7,525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,263
+100 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 1.43
Rank movement Up 425 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,797 | 3,430 | 1.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,950 | 4,163 | 1.41 | +733 bearers (+21.4%) | Up 847 places |
| 2020 | #7,525 | 4,263 | 1.43 | +100 bearers (+2.4%) | Up 425 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 Alleyne 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 | #7,950 | #7,525 | 5.3% |
| Count | 4,163 | 4,263 | 2.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.41 | 1.43 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Alleyne bearers went from 4,163 to 4,263 (+2.4% change). The surname moved up 425 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,950 to #7,525.
FAQ
Alleyne surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Alleyne?
Name Census estimates that about 4,888 living Americans carry the surname Alleyne. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 70,122 residents.
How common is Alleyne?
Alleyne ranks #7,525 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.43 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 4,263 people with the surname Alleyne. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,888), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.43 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 Alleyne.
Has Alleyne become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Alleyne went from 4,163 recorded bearers to 4,263. That is an increase of 100 (+2.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,950 to #7,525.
What does the Census say about the background of Alleyne?
Among Census respondents with the surname Alleyne, the largest self-reported group is Black at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.9%) and Two or More Races (5.8%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Alleyne in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.5% (3,475 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Alleyne appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (81.5%), Hispanic (7.9%), Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Alleyne (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 Alleyne mean?
Derived from the Gaelic "O'Ailín," meaning "descendant of Ailín," a personal name meaning "little rock" or "harmony." 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 Alleyne (1.43 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 have the surname Alleyne?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.