2000
#9,174
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,268
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.21
Rare Last name
Altieri
Derived from the Italian place name Altiero, likely referring to someone from that locality.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,428 Americans carry the last name Altieri. That puts it at #10,256 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 99,987 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Altieri 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
3.4K
1 in 99,987
Census rank
#10,256
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,989 bearers of the surname Altieri in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10256th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Altieri, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Altieri
The surname Altieri is of Italian origin, with roots tracing back to the medieval era. It is believed to have originated in the region of Tuscany, specifically in the city of Florence. The name is derived from the Italian word "altiero," which means "proud" or "haughty."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Altieri name can be found in the 14th century, when a family bearing this surname resided in the Oltrarno district of Florence. The Oltrarno was a prominent area known for its wealthy merchants and skilled artisans. The Altieri family may have been involved in the flourishing textile trade that brought prosperity to the city during that period.
In the 15th century, the Altieri name gained prominence when a member of the family, Giovanni Altieri, became a respected jurist and held positions of importance in the Florentine government. Giovanni's son, Benedetto Altieri, followed in his footsteps and served as a legal advisor to the Medici family, who ruled Florence during the Renaissance.
The Altieri family continued to play a significant role in Italian history, particularly in the papal court of Rome. In the 17th century, Emilio Altieri rose to prominence and was elected as Pope Clement X, reigning from 1670 to 1676. His pontificate was marked by efforts to promote peace and reconciliation among the European powers.
Another notable figure bearing the Altieri surname was Paluzzo Paluzzi Altieri degli Albertoni, a Roman nobleman and papal diplomat who lived in the 17th century. He served as the Governor of Rome and played a crucial role in negotiating the Treaty of Pisa in 1664, which brought an end to the long-standing conflict between the Papal States and the Republic of Venice.
In the realm of art, the Altieri name is associated with the renowned painter and architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini. In the mid-17th century, Bernini designed the magnificent Altieri Chapel in the Basilica of Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome, commissioned by the Altieri family.
While the Altieri name has its roots in Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and intermarriage. The name can now be found in various countries, although it remains most prevalent in Italy, particularly in regions such as Tuscany, Lazio, and Umbria.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Altieri
Among Census respondents with the surname Altieri, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Altieri 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 Altieri surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.5% · 2,616
- Hispanic or Latino8.5% · 253
- Two or more races1.8% · 55
- Black or African American1.6% · 47
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Altieri
Altieri 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
#9,345
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,482
+214 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Down 171 places
2020
#10,256
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,989
-493 bearers (-14.2%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Down 911 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,174 | 3,268 | 1.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,345 | 3,482 | 1.18 | +214 bearers (+6.5%) | Down 171 places |
| 2020 | #10,256 | 2,989 | 1.00 | -493 bearers (-14.2%) | Down 911 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 Altieri 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 | #9,345 | #10,256 | -9.7% |
| Count | 3,482 | 2,989 | -14.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.18 | 1.00 | -15.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Altieri bearers went from 3,482 to 2,989 (-14.2% change). The surname moved down 911 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,345 to #10,256.
FAQ
Altieri surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Altieri?
Name Census estimates that about 3,428 living Americans carry the surname Altieri. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 99,987 residents.
How common is Altieri?
Altieri ranks #10,256 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.00 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 2,989 people with the surname Altieri. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,428), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.00 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 Altieri.
Has Altieri become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Altieri went from 3,482 recorded bearers to 2,989. That is a decrease of 493 (-14.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,345 to #10,256.
What does the Census say about the background of Altieri?
Among Census respondents with the surname Altieri, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.5%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Altieri in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (2,616 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Altieri appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.5%), Hispanic (8.5%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Altieri (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 Altieri mean?
Derived from the Italian place name Altiero, likely referring to someone from that locality. 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 Altieri (1.00 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 Altieri?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.