Find out how popular the last name Alten is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Alten.

Alten, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Alten surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Alten in America

Alten is the 59470th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Alten surname appeared 340 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Alten.

We can also compare 2010 data for Alten to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Alten

The surname ALTEN has its origins in Germany, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. The name is derived from the Old German word "alt," meaning "old," and is believed to have initially been used as a descriptive name for someone who was elderly or a resident of an ancient town or village.

One of the earliest known references to the name ALTEN can be found in the medieval German manuscript known as the Codex Diplomaticus, which contains records from the 13th and 14th centuries. The name appears in various spellings, including "Alten," "Altten," and "Altenn," indicating its evolution over time.

In the 14th century, the surname ALTEN was particularly prevalent in the regions of Saxony and Thuringia, where several notable individuals bore the name. One such individual was Johann von Alten, a prominent landowner and nobleman who lived in the city of Erfurt during the mid-14th century.

As the surname spread across Germany, it also found its way into neighboring regions, including the Netherlands and Switzerland. In the 16th century, the Dutch explorer and navigator Pieter van den Alten became a renowned figure, setting sail on numerous voyages and contributing to the expansion of Dutch maritime exploration.

Another notable bearer of the ALTEN surname was the German artist and engraver Albrecht Altdorfer, who lived from 1480 to 1538. His intricate engravings and paintings, often depicting religious and mythological scenes, earned him recognition as one of the most skilled artists of the German Renaissance.

In the 18th century, the name ALTEN gained further prominence with the rise of Johann Alten, a highly respected German composer and musician who lived from 1718 to 1783. His compositions, which included operas, concertos, and symphonies, were widely performed and appreciated during his lifetime.

As the centuries passed, the ALTEN surname continued to be carried by individuals of note, such as the German military officer Karl von Alten, who served in the Napoleonic Wars and was awarded the prestigious Order of the Black Eagle for his bravery and leadership on the battlefield.

While these are just a few examples, the surname ALTEN has a rich and storied history, reflecting its German origins and the various contributions made by those who have borne this name throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Alten

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Alten.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Alten was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Alten has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Alten was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Alten, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!