2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Labes
A surname possibly derived from a personal name or nickname with an unknown origin and meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Labes. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Labes 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.
Bearers in the US
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Labes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Labes, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Labes
The surname LABES originated in Germany during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Germanic word "labe," which means "refreshment" or "sustenance." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who worked in professions related to providing food or refreshments, such as innkeepers, brewers, or bakers.
The earliest recorded instances of the name LABES can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria and Saxony. Some of the earliest known bearers of this surname were mentioned in local records, such as land deeds and tax rolls. For example, a certain Henricus Labes was documented as a landowner in the town of Nuremberg in 1287.
During the late medieval period, the LABES surname also appeared in several historical documents, including the Bavarian Urbaria (land registers) from the 14th century. Additionally, there are records of individuals with this surname in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, which was a prominent trading center in the region during the Renaissance era.
Over the centuries, the LABES surname has been subject to various spelling variations, such as Labes, Labeß, Labess, and Labis. These variations can be attributed to regional dialects, scribal errors, and the evolution of language over time.
One notable individual with the LABES surname was Johann Labes (1500-1572), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. He was a close associate of Martin Luther and participated in the Leipzig Disputation in 1519, which was a crucial event in the early stages of the Reformation.
Another prominent figure was Melchior Labes (1557-1629), a German composer and organist who served as the court Kapellmeister in Dresden. His compositions, which included motets and other sacred works, were highly regarded during his lifetime and contributed to the development of the Baroque music style in Germany.
In the 18th century, Johann Friedrich Labes (1720-1798) was a renowned German clockmaker and inventor. He is credited with developing several innovative clock mechanisms and is considered a pioneer in the field of horology.
The LABES surname also gained recognition in the literary world with the writer and poet Karl Labes (1811-1879), who was born in Silesia (now part of Poland). His works, which often explored themes of nature and rural life, were widely popular during the Romantic period in Germany.
Finally, it is worth mentioning Heinrich Labes (1853-1928), a German physician and scientist who made significant contributions to the field of bacteriology. He is best known for his research on tuberculosis and the development of diagnostic methods for detecting the disease.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Labes
Among Census respondents with the surname Labes, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Labes 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 Labes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Labes
Labes 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,530 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-6 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,701 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 8,530 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 7,701 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 Labes 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 | #137,327 | #145,028 | -5.6% |
| Count | 122 | 116 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Labes bearers went from 122 to 116 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 7,701 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #145,028.
FAQ
Labes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Labes?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Labes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Labes?
Labes ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 116 people with the surname Labes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Labes.
Has Labes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Labes went from 122 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 6 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Labes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Labes, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Labes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Labes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Labes (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 Labes mean?
A surname possibly derived from a personal name or nickname with an unknown origin and meaning. 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 Labes (0.04 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 Labes?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Labes on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.