2000
#6,885
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,501
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.67
Rare Last name
Laboy
A Spanish surname possibly derived from the place name La Boya or referring to a person from there.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,419 Americans carry the last name Laboy. That puts it at #5,928 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 53,397 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Laboy 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
6.4K
1 in 53,397
Census rank
#5,928
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,598 bearers of the surname Laboy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5928th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Laboy, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.4%. The next largest groups are White (8.2%) and Black (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Laboy
The surname LABOY has its origins in Spain and France, dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries. It is believed to have been derived from the Old French word "la bois," which means "the woods" or "the forest." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or in a wooded area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name LABOY can be found in the parish records of the town of Perpignan, located in southern France, near the border with Spain. In 1612, a man named Jean LABOY was mentioned in these records as a resident of the town.
In Spain, the name LABOY has been associated with the region of Catalonia, particularly in the provinces of Barcelona and Girona. It is thought that the name may have originated in this area and then spread to other parts of Spain and eventually to French territories.
During the 17th century, a notable individual bearing the surname LABOY was Francisco LABOY, a Spanish military officer who served in the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). He was born in Barcelona in 1601 and gained recognition for his bravery and leadership on the battlefield.
Another historically significant figure with the surname LABOY was Juan LABOY, a Spanish explorer and navigator who participated in several expeditions to the Americas in the late 16th century. He was born in Seville in 1562 and played a role in the colonization efforts of the Spanish Empire in the New World.
In the 18th century, a prominent individual named Pedro LABOY made a name for himself as a renowned architect in Madrid. He was born in Barcelona in 1712 and is credited with designing several notable buildings and churches in the Spanish capital.
Moving forward to the 19th century, a notable figure was Enrique LABOY, a Spanish poet and writer who was part of the Romantic movement. He was born in Valencia in 1825 and published several collections of poems that gained widespread acclaim during his lifetime.
It is worth mentioning that the surname LABOY has also been found in various historical records and manuscripts from different regions of Europe, indicating its widespread presence and use over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Laboy
Among Census respondents with the surname Laboy, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.4%. The next largest groups are White (8.2%) and Black (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Laboy 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 Laboy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino88.4% · 4,946
- White8.2% · 461
- Black or African American2.3% · 127
- Two or more races0.6% · 33
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Laboy
Laboy 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
#6,130
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,590
+1,089 bearers (+24.2%)
Per 100,000 1.90
Rank movement Up 755 places
2020
#5,928
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,598
+8 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 1.87
Rank movement Up 202 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,885 | 4,501 | 1.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,130 | 5,590 | 1.90 | +1,089 bearers (+24.2%) | Up 755 places |
| 2020 | #5,928 | 5,598 | 1.87 | +8 bearers (+0.1%) | Up 202 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 Laboy 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 | #6,130 | #5,928 | 3.3% |
| Count | 5,590 | 5,598 | 0.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.90 | 1.87 | -1.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Laboy bearers went from 5,590 to 5,598 (+0.1% change). The surname moved up 202 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,130 to #5,928.
FAQ
Laboy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Laboy?
Name Census estimates that about 6,419 living Americans carry the surname Laboy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 53,397 residents.
How common is Laboy?
Laboy ranks #5,928 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.87 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,598 people with the surname Laboy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,419), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.87 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Laboy.
Has Laboy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Laboy went from 5,590 recorded bearers to 5,598. That is an increase of 8 (+0.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,130 to #5,928.
What does the Census say about the background of Laboy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Laboy, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.4%. The next largest groups are White (8.2%) and Black (2.3%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Laboy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.4% (4,946 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Laboy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (88.4%), White (8.2%), Black (2.3%). 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 Laboy (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 Laboy mean?
A Spanish surname possibly derived from the place name La Boya or referring to a person from there. 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 Laboy (1.87 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 Laboy?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Laboy is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.