2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Altenbaugh
A German surname derived from a place name meaning "old village".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Altenbaugh. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Altenbaugh 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Altenbaugh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Altenbaugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Altenbaugh
The surname Altenbaugh has its origins in Germany. It is believed to have emerged in the 14th century, deriving from the Middle High German words "alt" meaning "old" and "baugh" referring to a small stream or brook. This suggests that the name may have originated as a locational name, describing individuals who lived near an old brook or stream.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the 1432 Heidelberg tax records, where a certain Hans Altenbaugh is listed as a landowner in the region. The spelling variations during this period included Altenbaug, Altenbauch, and Altenbaughen.
In the 16th century, the Altenbaugh family appeared to have established themselves in the Rhineland area, particularly around the town of Köln (Cologne). A notable figure from this period was Johann Altenbaugh (1523-1591), a respected merchant and burgher of Köln.
As the Altenbaugh family spread across German-speaking regions, the name evolved into various spellings, such as Altenbaugh, Altenbauger, and Altenbaugher. In the 17th century, a branch of the family settled in the Palatinate region, where they became prominent landowners and vintners.
One of the most notable figures from this era was Katharina Altenbaugh (1651-1723), a respected herbalist and midwife from the town of Neustadt an der Weinstraße. Her expertise in traditional medicine and childbirth made her a respected figure in the local community.
In the 18th century, the Altenbaugh surname began to appear in various parts of Europe, as members of the family migrated to other regions. One such individual was Friedrich Altenbaugh (1712-1782), a scholar and professor of philosophy at the University of Göttingen.
As the 19th century dawned, the Altenbaugh family continued to spread across Europe and beyond. A notable figure from this period was Wilhelm Altenbaugh (1821-1897), a German-American engineer who played a crucial role in the construction of the first transcontinental railroad in the United States.
Another significant individual was Elise Altenbaugh (1857-1932), a pioneering German actress and theatre director who helped establish the reputation of the renowned Deutsches Theater in Berlin.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Altenbaugh
Among Census respondents with the surname Altenbaugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Altenbaugh 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 Altenbaugh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.7% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino13.2% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 3
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Altenbaugh
Altenbaugh appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+9 bearers (+8.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,412 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.6%) | Up 8,412 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 Altenbaugh 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 | #154,907 | #146,495 | 5.4% |
| Count | 105 | 114 | 8.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Altenbaugh bearers went from 105 to 114 (+8.6% change). The surname moved up 8,412 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #146,495.
FAQ
Altenbaugh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Altenbaugh?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Altenbaugh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Altenbaugh?
Altenbaugh ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 114 people with the surname Altenbaugh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Altenbaugh.
Has Altenbaugh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Altenbaugh went from 105 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 9 (+8.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Altenbaugh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Altenbaugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%). 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 Altenbaugh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.7% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Altenbaugh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.7%), Hispanic (13.2%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%). 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 Altenbaugh (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 Altenbaugh mean?
A German surname derived from a place name meaning "old village". 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 Altenbaugh (0.04 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 are called Altenbaugh?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Altenbaugh on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.