Explore the Family Name Alpha
The meaning of Alpha
1. German: humanistic (Hellenized) form of the surname Aa (which is probably derived from a river name), adopted with reference to the first letter of the Greek alphabet. 2. West African (mainly Sierra Leone): unexplained.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Alpha in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Alpha has been increasing over the past decade. In 2000, it was ranked 51,352 in terms of frequency, but by 2010, it had risen to 48,347, a change of approximately 5.85%. The count of people with this surname also increased from 381 to 437, marking a growth of 14.7%. Consequently, the proportion of people with the Alpha surname per 100,000 individuals slightly increased from 0.14 to 0.15 over the same period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #51,352 | #48,347 | 5.85% |
| Count | 381 | 437 | 14.7% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.14 | 0.15 | 7.14% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Alpha
The ethnicity associated with the Alpha surname has also shifted based on the data from the Decennial U.S. Census. The proportion of individuals identifying as White decreased from 84.78% in 2000 to 75.29% in 2010. Meanwhile, those identifying as Black saw a significant rise from 10.24% to 20.82%. The proportion of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and Two or more races slightly changed from 0% to 1.14% and 1.84% to 1.14%, respectively. The proportion of Hispanics having the Alpha surname dropped from 2.10% to 1.60%. There were no changes for those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native over this time frame.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 84.78% | 75.29% | -11.19% |
| Black | 10.24% | 20.82% | 103.32% |
| Hispanic | 2.1% | 1.6% | -23.81% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 1.14% | 0% |
| Two or More Races | 1.84% | 1.14% | -38.04% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |