Explore the Family Name Altemus
The meaning of Altemus
Altered form of South German Altmoos or of its variant Altemoos: topographic name meaning ‘old swamp’ or ‘old fen’, from Middle High German alt ‘old’ + mōs ‘swamp, fen’, for someone living near swampy land. The surnames Altmoos and Altemoos are very rare in Germany. Compare Altemose and Altimus.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Altemus in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Altemus showed a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. The rank of the surname moved from 30,199 to 30,250, marking a change of -0.17%. However, the actual count of people bearing the surname Altemus showed an increase of 5.74%, rising from 732 in 2000 to 774 in 2010. Despite this increase in count, the proportion per 100,000 people slightly decreased by -3.7%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #30,199 | #30,250 | -0.17% |
| Count | 732 | 774 | 5.74% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.27 | 0.26 | -3.7% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Altemus
Looking at the ethnic identity associated with the surname Altemus, we see some shifts based on the Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, 92.49% of those with the surname identified as White, which dropped to 88.24% in 2010. While the percentage of those identifying as Black rose from 5.05% to 6.07%, marking a 20.20% change. There was also a notable increase in individuals identifying with two or more races, rising from 1.37% to 2.71%. Additionally, the census data for 2010 shows that there are now individuals identifying as Hispanic, where no such data was present in 2000. No recorded changes were found for Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native identities.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 92.49% | 88.24% | -4.6% |
| Black | 5.05% | 6.07% | 20.2% |
| Two or More Races | 1.37% | 2.71% | 97.81% |
| Hispanic | 0% | 2.33% | 0% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |