2000
#6,408
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,892
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.81
Rare Last name
La
A French topographic surname referring to someone who lived near or on a moor or heath.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,159 Americans carry the last name La. That puts it at #4,298 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,423 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the La surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for La with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.2K
1 in 37,423
Census rank
#4,298
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,987 bearers of the surname La in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4298th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname La, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.9%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of La
The surname "La" originates from Spain and is thought to have first emerged in the 8th century during the Moorish occupation of the Iberian Peninsula. It is believed to be derived from the Arabic word "al", which means "the" and was often used as a prefix for place names or surnames.
In the early days of its usage, "La" was commonly found in regions like Andalusia, where the Moorish influence was particularly strong. Some of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be traced back to medieval Spanish documents and manuscripts from the 10th and 11th centuries.
One notable historical figure bearing the surname "La" was Diego de la Cueva, a 15th-century Spanish nobleman and military commander who served under King Juan II of Castile. He played a significant role in the conflicts between Castile and the Kingdom of Aragon during the 1440s and 1450s.
Another prominent individual with the surname "La" was Juan de la Cosa, a Spanish navigator and cartographer from the late 15th century. He is best known for creating one of the earliest surviving maps of the New World, known as the "Carta Universal" or the "World Map of Juan de la Cosa," which dates back to around 1500.
In the realm of literature, one cannot overlook the celebrated Spanish poet and playwright Félix Lope de Vega y Carpio (1562-1635), who is often referred to as Lope de Vega. He is considered one of the most prolific and influential writers of the Spanish Golden Age and is renowned for his numerous plays, poems, and novels.
Moving into the 19th century, José María de la Cruz Bermúdez Acosta (1788-1849), better known as José de la Cruz Bermúdez, was a prominent Cuban poet and journalist. He is regarded as one of the founders of Cuban romantic poetry and played a significant role in the literary and cultural life of his time.
Finally, it is worth mentioning Ignacio María González del Campillo (1836-1901), a Mexican engineer and politician who served as the Minister of Development under President Porfirio Díaz. He was instrumental in the construction of several important infrastructure projects, including the Mexico City drainage system and the Veracruz-Mexico City railway.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for La
Among Census respondents with the surname La, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.9%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how La bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the La surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander89.9% · 7,178
- White4.2% · 333
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 220
- Two or more races1.9% · 154
- Black or African American1.3% · 100
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for La
La appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#5,242
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,655
+1,763 bearers (+36.0%)
Per 100,000 2.26
Rank movement Up 1,166 places
2020
#4,298
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,987
+1,332 bearers (+20.0%)
Per 100,000 2.67
Rank movement Up 944 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,408 | 4,892 | 1.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,242 | 6,655 | 2.26 | +1,763 bearers (+36.0%) | Up 1,166 places |
| 2020 | #4,298 | 7,987 | 2.67 | +1,332 bearers (+20.0%) | Up 944 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the La surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,242 | #4,298 | 18.0% |
| Count | 6,655 | 7,987 | 20.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.26 | 2.67 | 18.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of La bearers went from 6,655 to 7,987 (+20.0% change). The surname moved up 944 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,242 to #4,298.
FAQ
La surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname La?
Name Census estimates that about 9,159 living Americans carry the surname La. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,423 residents.
How common is La?
La ranks #4,298 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,987 people with the surname La. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,159), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname La.
Has La become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname La went from 6,655 recorded bearers to 7,987. That is an increase of 1,332 (+20.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,242 to #4,298.
What does the Census say about the background of La?
Among Census respondents with the surname La, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.9%. The next largest groups are White (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname La in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (7,178 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
La appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (89.9%), White (4.2%), Hispanic (2.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for La (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does La mean?
A French topographic surname referring to someone who lived near or on a moor or heath. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for La (2.67 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name La?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname La, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.