Explore the Family Name Altena
The meaning of Altena
Dutch and North German: habitational name from any of several places and houses so named. For a long time the placename has been explained as al te na ‘too close’, referring to its location nearby another object. Possibly this associative explanation has been applied for some Altena places indeed, but in North Brabant the toponym Land of Altena, with the castle of the noblemen of Altena, seems to be adopted from an old river name Huolthena (996), which probably means olten a ‘old a’, a being a general noun for ‘waterway’.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Altena in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Altena gained popularity over the first decade of the 2000s. In 2000, it was ranked at 69,636, and by 2010, it had climbed to 63,873, marking an increase of approximately 8.28%. Additionally, the count of individuals with this surname rose from 263 in 2000 to 312 in 2010, a jump of 18.63%. The proportion per 100,000 people also saw a minor rise from 0.1 to 0.11 during the same period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #69,636 | #63,873 | 8.28% |
| Count | 263 | 312 | 18.63% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.1 | 0.11 | 10% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Altena
Regarding ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that the majority of people named Altena identify as White. In 2000, the percentage was as high as 98.1%, although this figure slightly dropped to 91.35% in 2010. Interestingly, there was a presence of Asian/Pacific Islander and Black ethnicities associated with this surname in 2010, which were not recorded in 2000. The representation of these two ethnic groups was 1.6% and 6.09% respectively. The data for individuals who identified as Hispanic or American Indian and Alaskan Native remained suppressed or showed no change during this period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 98.1% | 91.35% | -6.88% |
| Black | 0% | 6.09% | 0% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 1.6% | 0% |
| Two or More Races | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Hispanic | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |