Albers
A patronymic surname meaning “son of Albert,” especially common in German and Dutch naming traditions.
The #3,638 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 31,614 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Albers is a patronymic form built on the personal name Albert, with the ending -s meaning “of” or “son of” in many North European surname traditions. The first element of Albert comes from old Germanic name parts meaning “noble” and “bright” or “famous.” So the surname originally identified someone as Albert’s child or descendant.
History
The surname appears in German- and Dutch-speaking areas as a hereditary family name developed from a common medieval given name. It is especially well attested in Low German and Dutch contexts, where -s patronymics are frequent. Related forms such as Alberts and Ahlers show how the same naming pattern varied by region and spelling.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same root that produced Albers also lies behind many familiar names and place names built from Albert, a popular medieval personal name.
From the historical record
“Albert, Albarts, Albardus, Albertus (Albrecht), m. ; fam. n., Alberts, Albers ; f. Albertje Alerk (Alarich, contraction of Athal- arich), m. ; fam. n., Alerks, Alers, Ahlers Alle, m. ; fam. n., Allen, Aliena”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)