2000
#13,739
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,023
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Alm
A Swedish toponymic surname derived from the word "alm," meaning "elm tree."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,155 Americans carry the last name Alm. That puts it at #15,076 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 159,051 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Alm 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
2.2K
1 in 159,051
Census rank
#15,076
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,879 bearers of the surname Alm in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15076th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Alm, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Alm
The surname Alm is believed to have its origins in Germany, with the name first appearing in records from the Middle Ages. One of the earliest known references to the name comes from the town of Alm in Bavaria, which dates back to the 13th century. It's possible that the name is derived from the Old German word "alm," meaning a mountain pasture or meadow.
In medieval times, the Alm name was predominantly found in southern Germany and Austria, particularly in the Alpine regions. Some historians believe that the name may have originated as a descriptive surname, referring to someone who lived or worked in a mountain meadow or pasture area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Alm can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, which mentions an individual named Almo in the year 1158. Additionally, the Alm surname appears in various other medieval manuscripts and records from Germany and Austria.
A notable figure bearing the Alm surname was Johann Alm, a German composer and organist born in 1653 in Mühlhausen, Thuringia. He was renowned for his contributions to the development of organ music in the Baroque era.
Another individual of historical significance was Friedrich Alm, a German painter and etcher who lived in the 19th century (1792-1858). He was known for his landscapes and cityscapes, particularly those depicting scenes from his native city of Dresden.
In the field of literature, one cannot overlook the contribution of Max Alm, a German novelist and playwright born in 1886 in Berlin. His works often explored themes of social criticism and the human condition.
The Alm name can also be found in the Domesday Book, the famous survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. Although not a common surname in England, the book mentions a landowner named Alm in the county of Wiltshire.
While the Alm surname has its roots in Germany and Austria, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, with individuals bearing this name making their mark in various fields throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alm
Among Census respondents with the surname Alm, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Alm 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 Alm surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 1,693
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 88
- Two or more races2.9% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 32
- Black or African American0.5% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Alm
Alm 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
#14,421
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,072
+49 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 682 places
2020
#15,076
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,879
-193 bearers (-9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 655 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,739 | 2,023 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,421 | 2,072 | 0.70 | +49 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 682 places |
| 2020 | #15,076 | 1,879 | 0.63 | -193 bearers (-9.3%) | Down 655 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 Alm 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 | #14,421 | #15,076 | -4.5% |
| Count | 2,072 | 1,879 | -9.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.70 | 0.63 | -10.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Alm bearers went from 2,072 to 1,879 (-9.3% change). The surname moved down 655 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,421 to #15,076.
FAQ
Alm surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Alm?
Name Census estimates that about 2,155 living Americans carry the surname Alm. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 159,051 residents.
How common is Alm?
Alm ranks #15,076 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,879 people with the surname Alm. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,155), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Alm.
Has Alm become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Alm went from 2,072 recorded bearers to 1,879. That is a decrease of 193 (-9.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,421 to #15,076.
What does the Census say about the background of Alm?
Among Census respondents with the surname Alm, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Alm in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (1,693 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Alm appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Hispanic (4.7%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Alm (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 Alm mean?
A Swedish toponymic surname derived from the word "alm," meaning "elm tree." 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 Alm (0.63 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 Alm?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.