The Alter surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 3,830 people carried this name — #8,597 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 76,900 people counted. That is up 3% from 3,731 in 2000.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
145 people named Alter live in Switzerland.
They live in 6 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Valais.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 137 people named Alter.
17 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 19 départements, most often Haut-Rhin.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 82 people named Alter live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in City of Buenos Aires.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Poland’s population register
53 people named Alter have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 131 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 5 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Opole.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In print
Alter in American newspapers,
1879–1927.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 3,381,667 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Alter,
with a public archive behind them.
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Francis Karl Alter 1749–1804 · librarian -
David Alter 1807–1881 · entrepreneur -
Benjamin Zev Alter d. 1939 · composer
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Samuel Alter d. 1969
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Josef Alter 1785–1847
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Charles E. Alter 1817–1900
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Alter.
- Alphonse 1,318 · U.S. census
- Alphonso 810 · U.S. census
- Alsina 413 · U.S. census
- Alt 5,906 · U.S. census
- Altenbach 298 · U.S. census
- Altenburger 284 · U.S. census
- Altermatt 333 · U.S. census
- Altier 739 · U.S. census
- Altieri 3,482 · U.S. census
- Altman 16,448 · U.S. census
- Altmann 1,116 · U.S. census
- Altmayer 162 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Alter is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.