2000
#22,065
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,094
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.41
Rare Last name
Almy
A habitational surname derived from areas in France named Almy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,354 Americans carry the last name Almy. That puts it at #22,347 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.40 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 253,142 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Almy 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
1.4K
1 in 253,142
Census rank
#22,347
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,181 bearers of the surname Almy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.40 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 22347th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Almy, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Almy
The surname ALMY is of ancient French origin, derived from the Old French word "aumaille" or "almaille", meaning "a small hamlet or group of houses". It is believed to have originated in the region of Normandy, France, during the Middle Ages.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 11th century, where it appeared in various forms such as "Aumaille", "Aumaly", and "Aumaly" in medieval records and charters. One notable mention is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where the name is recorded as "Aumaly" in reference to a landowner in the county of Wiltshire, England.
During the 12th and 13th centuries, the name began to spread across Europe, with some variants emerging. In England, it was often spelled as "Almaly" or "Almalie", while in Scotland, it took the form of "Almy" or "Almi". These variations likely arose due to regional pronunciation differences and linguistic influences.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Sir Robert Almy, a knight who fought alongside William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Another notable figure was Thomas Almy, a merchant and landowner in Cambridgeshire, England, who lived in the 14th century.
In the 16th century, the ALMY name gained prominence in France, with Jacques Almy, a renowned writer and philosopher, born in Paris in 1543. His works on political philosophy and social theory were widely influential during the Renaissance period.
During the 17th century, the ALMY surname found its way to the American colonies, with several families settling in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. One of the earliest settlers was William Almy, who arrived in Boston in 1635 and later became a prominent figure in the settlement of Portsmouth, Rhode Island.
Another significant figure was Christopher Almy, born in 1632 in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. He served as a deputy governor of the colony and was instrumental in shaping its early political and social landscape.
Throughout the centuries, the ALMY name has been associated with various professions, including merchants, landowners, politicians, and intellectuals. While its origins can be traced back to medieval France, the name has left an indelible mark across different regions and cultures, reflecting the rich tapestry of human migration and settlement.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Almy
Among Census respondents with the surname Almy, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Almy 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 Almy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 1,071
- Two or more races4.0% · 47
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 34
- Black or African American1.9% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Almy
Almy 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
#22,592
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,137
+43 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.39
Rank movement Down 527 places
2020
#22,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,181
+44 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.40
Rank movement Up 245 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #22,065 | 1,094 | 0.41 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #22,592 | 1,137 | 0.39 | +43 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 527 places |
| 2020 | #22,347 | 1,181 | 0.40 | +44 bearers (+3.9%) | Up 245 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 Almy 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 | #22,592 | #22,347 | 1.1% |
| Count | 1,137 | 1,181 | 3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.39 | 0.40 | 1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Almy bearers went from 1,137 to 1,181 (+3.9% change). The surname moved up 245 positions in the national ranking, going from #22,592 to #22,347.
FAQ
Almy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Almy?
Name Census estimates that about 1,354 living Americans carry the surname Almy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 253,142 residents.
How common is Almy?
Almy ranks #22,347 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.40 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,181 people with the surname Almy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,354), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.40 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Almy.
Has Almy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Almy went from 1,137 recorded bearers to 1,181. That is an increase of 44 (+3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #22,592 to #22,347.
What does the Census say about the background of Almy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Almy, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (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 Almy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (1,071 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Almy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (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 Almy (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 Almy mean?
A habitational surname derived from areas in France named Almy. 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 Almy (0.40 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 common is the surname Almy?
If you just want to know how many people are called Almy, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.