2000
#6,373
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,917
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.82
Rare Last name
Alvey
An English occupational surname for a wise or elf-like person, or one who came from Alvingham.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,895 Americans carry the last name Alvey. That puts it at #6,365 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,143 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Alvey 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 Alvey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.9K
1 in 58,143
Census rank
#6,365
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,141 bearers of the surname Alvey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6365th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Alvey, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Alvey
The surname Alvey originates from England and is thought to have first appeared in the 12th century. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from the Norman French place name 'Alvey' or 'Alveley', which may refer to several locations across England, including villages in Shropshire and Essex.
The name itself is thought to be derived from the Old English words 'ælf' meaning 'elf' or 'supernatural being', and 'leah' meaning 'woodland clearing' or 'meadow'. This suggests that the name may have originated from a place inhabited by elves or fairies, according to folklore.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Alvey can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1198, where a Robert de Alveleye is mentioned. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also record a Henry de Alvytheleye, further indicating the name's early presence in England.
In the 13th century, the Alvey surname appeared in various spellings such as Alveleye, Alvelea, and Alveley, reflecting the evolution of the name over time. The village of Alveley in Shropshire is believed to be one of the potential places of origin for those bearing the Alvey surname.
Notable individuals with the Alvey surname include John Alvey (1615-1672), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Master of Emmanuel College, Cambridge. Another notable figure was Sir Richard Alvey (1826-1892), a British lawyer and judge who served as the Chief Justice of the Bahamas.
Other individuals bearing the Alvey name include Thomas Alvey (1775-1839), an English farmer and landowner in Lincolnshire, and William Alvey (1846-1919), an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club in the late 19th century.
The Alvey surname has also been found in various parts of the United States, likely stemming from English immigrants who brought the name with them. One notable American with the surname was Alma Alvey (1893-1983), a singer and vaudeville performer who was active in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alvey
Among Census respondents with the surname Alvey, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Alvey 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 Alvey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 4,743
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 190
- Two or more races2.8% · 146
- Black or African American0.5% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Alvey
Alvey 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
#6,502
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,220
+303 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 1.77
Rank movement Down 129 places
2020
#6,365
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,141
-79 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 1.72
Rank movement Up 137 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,373 | 4,917 | 1.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,502 | 5,220 | 1.77 | +303 bearers (+6.2%) | Down 129 places |
| 2020 | #6,365 | 5,141 | 1.72 | -79 bearers (-1.5%) | Up 137 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 Alvey 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 | #6,502 | #6,365 | 2.1% |
| Count | 5,220 | 5,141 | -1.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.77 | 1.72 | -2.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Alvey bearers went from 5,220 to 5,141 (-1.5% change). The surname moved up 137 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,502 to #6,365.
FAQ
Alvey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Alvey?
Name Census estimates that about 5,895 living Americans carry the surname Alvey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,143 residents.
How common is Alvey?
Alvey ranks #6,365 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,141 people with the surname Alvey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,895), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Alvey.
Has Alvey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Alvey went from 5,220 recorded bearers to 5,141. That is a decrease of 79 (-1.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,502 to #6,365.
What does the Census say about the background of Alvey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Alvey, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Alvey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (4,743 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Alvey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Alvey (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 Alvey mean?
An English occupational surname for a wise or elf-like person, or one who came from Alvingham. 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 Alvey (1.72 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 have the last name Alvey?
See how many Americans have the surname Alvey on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.