2000
#8,176
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,731
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.38
Rare Last name
Alter
A German and Jewish occupational surname referring to a person who served as a caretaker or verger.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,174 Americans carry the last name Alter. That puts it at #8,652 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 82,117 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Alter 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Alter with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.2K
1 in 82,117
Census rank
#8,652
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,640 bearers of the surname Alter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8652nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Alter, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Alter
The surname Alter is of German origin, deriving from the Middle High German word "alter" meaning "old" or "ancient." It is believed to have originated as an occupational surname, referring to an elder or older person in a community or village.
The earliest known record of the name dates back to the 13th century in the German states of Bavaria and Saxony. It appears in various medieval records and manuscripts, often spelled as "Alter" or "Alder."
In the 14th century, the name Alter can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony. This suggests that the name was well-established in this region during that period.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Alter was Johannes Alter, a German scholar and theologian who lived in the late 15th century (c. 1450-1515). He was a prominent figure in the early days of the Protestant Reformation and served as a professor at the University of Leipzig.
Another notable bearer of the name was Johann Nepomuk Alter (1793-1853), a German Catholic priest and theologian. He was a renowned scholar and writer, known for his work on ecclesiastical history and canon law.
In the 16th century, the name Alter was also found in the town of Altenburg in the German state of Thuringia. This place name, derived from the German words "alt" (old) and "burg" (castle), may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in that region.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Alter surname spread throughout various German-speaking areas, including present-day Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It can be found in numerous historical records and documents from this period.
One notable individual from this time was Johann Matthias Alter (1707-1781), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister (music director) at the court of the Prince-Bishop of Eichstätt.
In the 19th century, the surname Alter continued to be prevalent in German-speaking regions, and it also began to appear in other parts of Europe and the Americas due to emigration. For example, the Austrian painter and etcher Rudolf von Alter (1812-1905) was a well-known artist in his time.
Over the centuries, the surname Alter has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, religious figures, artists, and professionals. It remains a prominent surname in Germany and other German-speaking countries, as well as among descendants of German immigrants around the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alter
Among Census respondents with the surname Alter, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Alter 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 Alter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 3,313
- Two or more races3.9% · 143
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 117
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 29
- Black or African American0.7% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Alter
Alter 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
#8,597
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,830
+99 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Down 421 places
2020
#8,652
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,640
-190 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Down 55 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,176 | 3,731 | 1.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,597 | 3,830 | 1.30 | +99 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 421 places |
| 2020 | #8,652 | 3,640 | 1.22 | -190 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 55 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 Alter 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 | #8,597 | #8,652 | -0.6% |
| Count | 3,830 | 3,640 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.30 | 1.22 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Alter bearers went from 3,830 to 3,640 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 55 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,597 to #8,652.
FAQ
Alter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Alter?
Name Census estimates that about 4,174 living Americans carry the surname Alter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 82,117 residents.
How common is Alter?
Alter ranks #8,652 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.22 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,640 people with the surname Alter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,174), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.22 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Alter.
Has Alter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Alter went from 3,830 recorded bearers to 3,640. That is a decrease of 190 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,597 to #8,652.
What does the Census say about the background of Alter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Alter, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Alter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (3,313 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Alter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Alter (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 Alter mean?
A German and Jewish occupational surname referring to a person who served as a caretaker or verger. 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 Alter (1.22 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 share the surname Alter?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.