About the Altvater Surname

Looking for an Altvater coat of arms? Arms were granted to families, not to surnames, and our research shows which heraldic tradition fits yours.

What Altvater means

Ask a genealogist about Altvater and the first name they will mention is Alter. Its meaning, shared with Alter, is “The old man”.

Before spelling was fixed, Alter was also written Altvater. Other spellings include Alte, Alterman and Altermann. 490 Americans were listed as Altvater in the 2010 census. It sits within the 50,000 most common last names in the country.

For the full story, order the Altvater surname pack.