2000
#54,020
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 358
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.13
Very Rare Last name
Altschul
A German surname derived from the word "alt" meaning "old" and "schule" meaning "schoolhouse" or "schoolmaster".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 435 Americans carry the last name Altschul. That puts it at #57,938 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 787,941 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Altschul 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
435
1 in 787,941
Census rank
#57,938
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
379
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 379 bearers of the surname Altschul in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 57938th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Altschul, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.8%) and Two or More Races (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Altschul
The surname Altschul has its origins in Germany, where it first appeared in the late 15th century. It is derived from the German words "alt," meaning "old," and "schul," which refers to a school or synagogue. The name likely originated as a description or nickname for someone who attended or lived near an old or established school or synagogue.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Altschul dates back to 1492 in the town of Ulm, where a man named Hans Altschul was mentioned in a tax record. In the 16th century, variants of the name such as Altschull and Altschuel were also documented in various regions of Germany.
One notable figure with the surname Altschul was Jacob Altschul (1768-1843), a German-Jewish financier and philanthropist who lived in Prague. He made significant contributions to the development of the city and funded the construction of several public buildings, including a hospital and a synagogue.
Another historically significant individual with this surname was Eduard Altschul (1865-1936), an Austrian-born American banker and financier who played a crucial role in the development of the American railroad industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In the 19th century, the name Altschul was also found in regions of what is now Poland, where it was sometimes spelled as Altschul or Altszul. One example is Stanisław Altschul (1865-1919), a Polish-Jewish lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Austrian Parliament.
Another notable figure was Nathan Altschul (1870-1945), an American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Altschul Foundation, which supported various educational and cultural institutions in New York City.
The surname Altschul has also been documented in other parts of Europe, such as France, where it was sometimes spelled as Altschoul or Altchoul. One example is Théodore Altschoul (1872-1945), a French-Jewish lawyer and politician who served as a member of the French Senate.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Altschul
Among Census respondents with the surname Altschul, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.8%) and Two or More Races (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Altschul 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 Altschul surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.5% · 328
- Hispanic or Latino10.8% · 41
- Two or more races1.3% · 5
- Black or African American0.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Altschul
Altschul 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
#54,178
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 381
+23 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 158 places
2020
#57,938
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 379
-2 bearers (-0.5%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 3,760 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #54,020 | 358 | 0.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #54,178 | 381 | 0.13 | +23 bearers (+6.4%) | Down 158 places |
| 2020 | #57,938 | 379 | 0.13 | -2 bearers (-0.5%) | Down 3,760 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 Altschul 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 | #54,178 | #57,938 | -6.9% |
| Count | 381 | 379 | -0.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.13 | 0.13 | -2.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Altschul bearers went from 381 to 379 (-0.5% change). The surname moved down 3,760 positions in the national ranking, going from #54,178 to #57,938.
FAQ
Altschul surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Altschul?
Name Census estimates that about 435 living Americans carry the surname Altschul. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 787,941 residents.
How common is Altschul?
Altschul ranks #57,938 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.13 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 379 people with the surname Altschul. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (435), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.13 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 Altschul.
Has Altschul become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Altschul went from 381 recorded bearers to 379. That is a decrease of 2 (-0.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #54,178 to #57,938.
What does the Census say about the background of Altschul?
Among Census respondents with the surname Altschul, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.8%) and Two or More Races (1.3%). 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 Altschul in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.5% (328 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Altschul appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.5%), Hispanic (10.8%), Two or More Races (1.3%). 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 Altschul (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 Altschul mean?
A German surname derived from the word "alt" meaning "old" and "schule" meaning "schoolhouse" or "schoolmaster". 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 Altschul (0.13 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 Americans have the surname Altschul?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.