2000
#9,482
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,145
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.17
Rare Last name
Alpert
From a German surname meaning "all bright," referring to someone with a cheerful or lively personality.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,285 Americans carry the last name Alpert. That puts it at #10,652 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 104,339 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Alpert 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
3.3K
1 in 104,339
Census rank
#10,652
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,865 bearers of the surname Alpert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10652nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Alpert, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Alpert
The surname Alpert has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "alb," which means "elf" or "supernatural being." This suggests that the name may have been originally given to someone with an unusual appearance or behavior, perhaps considered slightly otherworldly or mischievous.
Alpert is thought to have originated in the regions of Bavaria and Austria, where variations of the name, such as Alpert, Alberts, and Albrecht, were common. These early spellings can be found in some of the oldest records from these areas, including church registers and municipal archives dating back to the 13th and 14th centuries.
One of the earliest known references to the name Alpert can be found in a 1389 document from the city of Nuremberg, which mentions a certain "Hans Alpert" as a resident. Another notable early bearer of the name was Albrecht Dürer, the renowned German Renaissance artist, who was born in 1471 in Nuremberg.
As the name spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling changes and adaptations. In some regions, it took on forms such as Alpert, Alperton, or Alperton, with the latter suggesting a possible connection to a place name or locality.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Alpert. These include:
1. Herb Alpert (born 1935), an American musician and recording artist, co-founder of the Tijuana Brass, and co-owner of A&M Records.
2. Richard Alpert (born 1931), also known as Ram Dass, an American spiritual teacher and author.
3. Daniel Alpert (born 1959), an American investment banker and author.
4. Lenard Alpert (1920-2009), an American physicist and inventor.
5. Martin Alpert (1933-2022), an American businessman and philanthropist.
While the surname Alpert has its roots in German-speaking regions, it has since spread across the globe, carried by various waves of migration and cultural exchange. Today, it remains a recognizable surname with a rich historical legacy that stretches back to the Middle Ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alpert
Among Census respondents with the surname Alpert, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Alpert 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 Alpert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 2,645
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 101
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 52
- Two or more races1.8% · 51
- Black or African American0.6% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Alpert
Alpert 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
#9,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,243
+98 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Down 472 places
2020
#10,652
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,865
-378 bearers (-11.7%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Down 698 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,482 | 3,145 | 1.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,954 | 3,243 | 1.10 | +98 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 472 places |
| 2020 | #10,652 | 2,865 | 0.96 | -378 bearers (-11.7%) | Down 698 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 Alpert 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 | #9,954 | #10,652 | -7.0% |
| Count | 3,243 | 2,865 | -11.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.10 | 0.96 | -12.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Alpert bearers went from 3,243 to 2,865 (-11.7% change). The surname moved down 698 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,954 to #10,652.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Alpert
FAQ
Alpert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Alpert?
Name Census estimates that about 3,285 living Americans carry the surname Alpert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 104,339 residents.
How common is Alpert?
Alpert ranks #10,652 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.96 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 2,865 people with the surname Alpert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,285), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.96 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 Alpert.
Has Alpert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Alpert went from 3,243 recorded bearers to 2,865. That is a decrease of 378 (-11.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,954 to #10,652.
What does the Census say about the background of Alpert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Alpert, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Alpert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (2,645 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Alpert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (3.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Alpert (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 Alpert mean?
From a German surname meaning "all bright," referring to someone with a cheerful or lively personality. 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 Alpert (0.96 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 Alpert?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.