2000
#81,100
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 217
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Alstott
A German surname meaning "ancestral homestead" or "old estate".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 342 Americans carry the last name Alstott. That puts it at #70,715 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,002,206 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Alstott 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
342
1 in 1,002,206
Census rank
#70,715
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
298
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 298 bearers of the surname Alstott in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 70715th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Alstott, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Black (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Alstott
The surname Alstott has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be a locational surname, derived from a place name that no longer exists or has been lost over time. One possible derivation is from the Old English words "ald" meaning old and "stoc" meaning a place, resulting in a combination that translates to "old place" or "old settlement."
During the medieval period, surnames were often adopted based on a person's place of origin, occupation, or a distinguishing physical feature. The earliest recorded instance of the Alstott surname can be traced back to the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1273, where it was written as "Aldestok."
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various records in different spellings, such as "Aldestok," "Aldestoke," and "Aldestok." These variations were common during that era due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions and the influence of regional dialects.
One notable individual bearing the Alstott surname was John Alstott, who was mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire in 1399. The Feet of Fines were legal documents that recorded land transactions, providing valuable insights into the lives and movements of families during that time.
Another early recorded instance of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1327, where a Robert Aldestok was listed as a taxpayer. These tax records offer a glimpse into the distribution and prevalence of surnames across different regions.
In the 16th century, the surname appeared in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Prestbury, Cheshire, where a William Alstott was recorded as having been buried in 1558.
During the 17th century, the Alstott surname gained prominence with the birth of Henry Alstott (1607-1677), a notable English clergyman and author. He served as the Vicar of Widford in Hertfordshire and wrote several theological works, including "A Treatise on the Nature and Felicity of the Life to Come."
As the centuries progressed, the Alstott surname continued to be recorded in various historical documents, further solidifying its English roots and showcasing its enduring presence across generations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alstott
Among Census respondents with the surname Alstott, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Black (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Alstott 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 Alstott surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 274
- Black or African American2.7% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 8
- Two or more races2.0% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Alstott
Alstott 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
#67,943
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 290
+73 bearers (+33.6%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Up 13,157 places
2020
#70,715
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 298
+8 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 2,772 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #81,100 | 217 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #67,943 | 290 | 0.10 | +73 bearers (+33.6%) | Up 13,157 places |
| 2020 | #70,715 | 298 | 0.10 | +8 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 2,772 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 Alstott 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 | #67,943 | #70,715 | -4.1% |
| Count | 290 | 298 | 2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.10 | -0.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Alstott bearers went from 290 to 298 (+2.8% change). The surname moved down 2,772 positions in the national ranking, going from #67,943 to #70,715.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Alstott
FAQ
Alstott surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Alstott?
Name Census estimates that about 342 living Americans carry the surname Alstott. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,002,206 residents.
How common is Alstott?
Alstott ranks #70,715 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 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 298 people with the surname Alstott. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (342), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 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 Alstott.
Has Alstott become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Alstott went from 290 recorded bearers to 298. That is an increase of 8 (+2.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #67,943 to #70,715.
What does the Census say about the background of Alstott?
Among Census respondents with the surname Alstott, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Black (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Alstott in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (274 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Alstott appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Black (2.7%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Alstott (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 Alstott mean?
A German surname meaning "ancestral homestead" or "old estate". 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 Alstott (0.10 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 Alstott?
If you just want to know how many people are called Alstott, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.