Altenor last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Altenor

A name derived from Middle High German meaning "old honor" or "ancient honor".

Altenor, 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 Altenor surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Altenor in America

Altenor is the 66754th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Altenor surname appeared 296 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 Altenor.

We can also compare 2010 data for Altenor 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 66754 89172 -28.75%
Count 296 193 42.13%
Proportion per 100k 0.10 0.07 35.29%

The history of the last name Altenor

The surname Altenor has its origins in Germany and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German words "alt" meaning old and "nor" meaning north, possibly referring to an individual or family residing in the northern part of an old settlement or town.

One of the earliest known records of the name Altenor can be found in the archives of the city of Cologne, where a merchant named Hans Altenor was documented in the year 1567. This suggests that the name may have been prevalent in the Rhineland region of Germany during that time period.

In the 17th century, the Altenor name appears in several church records across various German states, indicating its spread across different regions. Notable examples include the baptismal record of Johann Altenor in Nuremberg in 1627 and the marriage record of Anna Altenor and Wilhelm Stein in Saxony in 1689.

The name Altenor has also been associated with various place names and locations throughout German history. For instance, the town of Altennordheim in Bavaria was once known as Altenor during the Middle Ages, and it is possible that the surname may have originated from this or a similar place name.

Several individuals bearing the surname Altenor have left their mark in various fields throughout history. One notable figure was Friedrich Altenor (1793-1861), a German philosopher and writer who authored several works on ethics and moral philosophy. Another was Gerhard Altenor (1825-1899), a renowned architect and urban planner who designed numerous notable buildings across Germany in the 19th century.

Other notable individuals with the surname Altenor include:

  1. Wilhelm Altenor (1755-1832), a German military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars.
  2. Anna Altenor (1670-1742), a prominent figure in the German Reformation movement and a vocal advocate for women's education.
  3. Heinrich Altenor (1879-1945), a German composer and conductor known for his orchestral works and operas.
  4. Katharina Altenor (1902-1987), a pioneering German physicist who made significant contributions to the field of nuclear physics.
  5. Otto Altenor (1918-2003), a German novelist and playwright whose works explored themes of identity and social justice.

While the Altenor surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including France, the Netherlands, and even as far as the Americas, where it was likely brought by German immigrants in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Altenor

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

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 Altenor was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 6.08% 18
Non-Hispanic Black Only 82.77% 245
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.36% 7
Hispanic Origin 8.11% 24

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 Altenor has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 6.08% (S)% (S)%
Black 82.77% 77.72% 6.29%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% 0.00% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 2.36% 9.84% -122.62%
Hispanic 8.11% 9.84% -19.28%

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 Altenor was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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"Altenor last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 31, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/altenor-surname-popularity/.

"Altenor last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/altenor-surname-popularity/. Accessed 31 October, 2024

Altenor last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/altenor-surname-popularity/.

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