2000
#1,297
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,942
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.25
Uncommon Last name
Albright
A surname derived from a nickname for a person with a cheerful or bright disposition or fair hair or complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 27,753 Americans carry the last name Albright. That puts it at #1,433 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,350 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Albright 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 Albright with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
28K
1 in 12,350
Census rank
#1,433
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
24K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 24,202 bearers of the surname Albright in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1433rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Albright, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Albright
The surname Albright is of Anglo-Saxon origin, deriving from the Old English words "æl" meaning "elf" and "beorht" meaning "bright" or "radiant." It is believed to have originated in the regions of Wessex and Mercia in England during the 8th to 10th centuries.
The earliest known records of the Albright surname can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions several individuals with variations of the name, such as Aelfbriht and Ælbryht, residing in various counties across England.
In the 13th century, historical records show the name being spelled as Albricht, Albryght, and Albrith, reflecting the evolution of the English language and regional dialects. One notable individual was John Albright, a prominent landowner in Oxfordshire, who lived during the reign of King Henry III (1216-1272).
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the Albright surname became more widely dispersed across England, with records indicating families residing in counties such as Berkshire, Wiltshire, and Gloucestershire. A significant figure from this period was Sir Thomas Albright (c. 1370-1430), a nobleman and military commander who fought in the Hundred Years' War.
In the 16th century, the Albright surname gained prominence in the northern counties of England, particularly in Yorkshire and Lancashire. One notable figure was Robert Albright (c. 1530-1585), a wealthy merchant and landowner in York.
The 17th century saw the Albright surname spread to other parts of the British Isles, including Scotland and Ireland. One prominent individual from this time was William Albright (1632-1701), an Irish clergyman and philosopher who served as the Bishop of Kilmore.
As the British Empire expanded in the 18th and 19th centuries, many Albrights emigrated to the American colonies and other parts of the world. One notable figure was Jacob Albright (1759-1808), a German-American evangelist and founder of the Evangelical Association, now part of the United Methodist Church.
Other notable individuals with the Albright surname throughout history include Madeleine Albright (1937-), the first female United States Secretary of State, and Ivan Albright (1897-1983), an American artist known for his realistic and macabre paintings.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Albright
Among Census respondents with the surname Albright, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Albright 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 Albright surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.6% · 20,957
- Black or African American5.8% · 1,394
- Two or more races3.6% · 865
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 720
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 167
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 99
Timeline
Historical Census data for Albright
Albright 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
#1,410
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,189
+247 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 8.54
Rank movement Down 113 places
2020
#1,433
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,202
-987 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 8.10
Rank movement Down 23 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,297 | 24,942 | 9.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,410 | 25,189 | 8.54 | +247 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 113 places |
| 2020 | #1,433 | 24,202 | 8.10 | -987 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 23 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 Albright 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 | #1,410 | #1,433 | -1.6% |
| Count | 25,189 | 24,202 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 8.54 | 8.10 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Albright bearers went from 25,189 to 24,202 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 23 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,410 to #1,433.
FAQ
Albright surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Albright?
Name Census estimates that about 27,753 living Americans carry the surname Albright. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,350 residents.
How common is Albright?
Albright ranks #1,433 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 24,202 people with the surname Albright. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (27,753), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Albright.
Has Albright become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Albright went from 25,189 recorded bearers to 24,202. That is a decrease of 987 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,410 to #1,433.
What does the Census say about the background of Albright?
Among Census respondents with the surname Albright, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Albright in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.6% (20,957 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Albright appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.6%), Black (5.8%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Albright (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 Albright mean?
A surname derived from a nickname for a person with a cheerful or bright disposition or fair hair or complexion. 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 Albright (8.10 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 are called Albright?
See how many people have the last name Albright on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.