2000
#27,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 843
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.31
Rare Last name
Anhalt
A surname derived from a place name, referring to the former German duchy of Anhalt.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,010 Americans carry the last name Anhalt. That puts it at #28,736 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 339,361 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Anhalt 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
1.0K
1 in 339,361
Census rank
#28,736
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
881
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 881 bearers of the surname Anhalt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 28736th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Anhalt, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Anhalt
The surname Anhalt is derived from the German principality of Anhalt, which was a former state located in present-day Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The name Anhalt is believed to have originated in the 11th century as a reference to the area around the town of Anhalt, which was situated along the banks of the Elbe River.
The earliest recorded use of the surname Anhalt dates back to the 12th century, when it appeared in various medieval documents and records. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Bernhard von Anhalt, a German nobleman who lived in the late 12th century and was a prominent figure in the region's political and military affairs.
In the 13th century, the House of Anhalt emerged as a prominent noble family in the area, ruling over the principality of Anhalt for several centuries. Members of this family often carried the surname Anhalt, solidifying its association with the region. One notable figure from this lineage was Prince Leopold I of Anhalt-Dessau (1676-1747), a renowned military leader and patron of the arts.
The name Anhalt also appeared in various historical records and manuscripts from the Middle Ages onward. For instance, it was mentioned in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of documents related to the principality of Anhalt compiled in the 18th century.
Another notable individual with the surname Anhalt was Johann Anhalt (1509-1561), a German Protestant reformer and theologian who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in the region of Anhalt.
In addition to its German roots, the surname Anhalt has also been found in other European countries, particularly among those with historical ties to the Holy Roman Empire. For example, there were bearers of the name Anhalt in the Netherlands and Belgium, likely due to migration or intermarriage with German families.
It's worth noting that the name Anhalt has also been associated with various place names and locations within the former principality, such as the towns of Dessau, Köthen, and Zerbst, which were part of the Anhalt region.
Throughout history, several other individuals have carried the surname Anhalt, including Prince Leopold IV of Anhalt-Dessau (1794-1871), a Prussian general and military reformer, and Princess Antoinette of Anhalt-Dessau (1885-1963), a member of the German nobility and the last surviving grandchild of Queen Victoria.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Anhalt
Among Census respondents with the surname Anhalt, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Anhalt 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 Anhalt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 795
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 36
- Two or more races2.8% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 16
- Black or African American0.8% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Anhalt
Anhalt 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
#27,707
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 868
+25 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.29
Rank movement Down 679 places
2020
#28,736
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 881
+13 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.29
Rank movement Down 1,029 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #27,028 | 843 | 0.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #27,707 | 868 | 0.29 | +25 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 679 places |
| 2020 | #28,736 | 881 | 0.29 | +13 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 1,029 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 Anhalt 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 | #27,707 | #28,736 | -3.7% |
| Count | 868 | 881 | 1.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.29 | 0.29 | 1.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Anhalt bearers went from 868 to 881 (+1.5% change). The surname moved down 1,029 positions in the national ranking, going from #27,707 to #28,736.
FAQ
Anhalt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Anhalt?
Name Census estimates that about 1,010 living Americans carry the surname Anhalt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 339,361 residents.
How common is Anhalt?
Anhalt ranks #28,736 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.29 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 881 people with the surname Anhalt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,010), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.29 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 Anhalt.
Has Anhalt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Anhalt went from 868 recorded bearers to 881. That is an increase of 13 (+1.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #27,707 to #28,736.
What does the Census say about the background of Anhalt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Anhalt, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) 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 Anhalt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (795 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Anhalt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Hispanic (4.1%), 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 Anhalt (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 Anhalt mean?
A surname derived from a place name, referring to the former German duchy of Anhalt. 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 Anhalt (0.29 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 Anhalt?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.