Explore the Family Name Albany
The meaning of Albany
1. Scottish and English: from the title of the Dukes of Albany (House of Stuart), hence a name borne by their retainers. Albany is from Albania, the Latin name for Scotland (Gaelic Alba, genitive Albainn). This is an infrequent surname in England and Scotland. 2. English: variant of Dabney. History: The city of Albany, NY, formerly the Dutch settlement of Beverwyck or Fort Orange, was named for James Stuart, Duke of York and Albany; he was the brother of King Charles II and later king in his own right as James II. In 1664 he financed a fleet to take over the Dutch colony of New Netherland (now NY). It is possible that in North America, the surname Albany (see 1 above) was adopted at this period.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Albany in the United States?
Based on the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Albany has experienced a slight decrease in rank between 2000 and 2010, moving from position 38,141 to 38,265. However, the count, or the number of people bearing this surname, has increased by about 6.04 percent during the same period, indicating that more people have adopted this surname over time. The proportion per 100,000 people remained stable at 0.2, suggesting that the surname Albany is not very common in the United States.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #38,141 | #38,265 | -0.33% |
| Count | 546 | 579 | 6.04% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Albany
The ethnicity distribution for the surname Albany, according to the Decennial U.S. Census, shows some significant shifts between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of individuals identifying as white decreased by approximately 11.88 percent, while the proportion of individuals identifying as black increased by around 10.79 percent. There was also a substantial increase in the proportion of those identifying as Hispanic, with a rise of 211.48 percent. The American Indian and Alaskan Native category saw a minor decrease of 5.65 percent, whereas the proportion of individuals identifying with two or more races increased by 50 percent. There was no change in the Asian/Pacific Islander category, with the proportion remaining at 0.00 percent.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 61.54% | 54.23% | -11.88% |
| Black | 30.4% | 33.68% | 10.79% |
| Hispanic | 1.83% | 5.7% | 211.48% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 5.31% | 5.01% | -5.65% |
| Two or More Races | 0.92% | 1.38% | 50% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0% |