2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Lacatus
A Romanian surname possibly derived from the Romanian word "lacat" meaning lock or padlock.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Lacatus. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lacatus 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 Lacatus with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Lacatus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lacatus, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Black (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lacatus
The surname Lacatus is believed to have originated in Romania, with roots tracing back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Latin word "lacatus," which means "lake" or "pond." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a body of water or worked in a profession related to lakes or ponds.
In the early days, the surname Lacatus was more commonly found in the regions surrounding the Danube River and the Black Sea, where many lakes and wetlands were present. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in historical documents from the 17th and 18th centuries, such as parish registers and land records.
One notable individual bearing the surname Lacatus was Ion Lacatus, a Romanian writer and philosopher who lived from 1825 to 1887. He is best known for his contributions to the development of Romanian literature and his efforts to promote the use of the Romanian language in education and cultural spheres.
Another prominent figure was Alexandru Lacatus, a Romanian politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the early 20th century. He was born in 1858 and played a significant role in shaping Romania's foreign policy during a critical period in the country's history.
In the realm of art, the name Lacatus is associated with Gheorghe Lacatus, a Romanian painter who lived from 1890 to 1965. His works, primarily focused on landscapes and rural scenes, are celebrated for their vivid depictions of the Romanian countryside and its people.
Historically, the Lacatus surname has also been linked to various place names and localities in Romania, such as the village of Lacatus in the county of Brasov. This connection further reinforces the theory that the name originated from a geographic association with lakes or ponds.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Lacatus can be found in the Diata, a collection of legal documents from the 16th century in Wallachia (present-day southern Romania). This historical record provides valuable insight into the name's origins and its prevalence during that time period.
While the surname Lacatus may not be as widespread as some other Romanian names, it has left its mark on the country's history and cultural heritage, with individuals bearing this name contributing to various fields, including literature, politics, and art.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lacatus
Among Census respondents with the surname Lacatus, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Black (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Lacatus 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 Lacatus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.4% · 103
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lacatus
Lacatus appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+4 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,109 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.8%) | Up 5,109 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 Lacatus 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 | #156,044 | #150,935 | 3.3% |
| Count | 104 | 108 | 3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lacatus bearers went from 104 to 108 (+3.8% change). The surname moved up 5,109 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #150,935.
FAQ
Lacatus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lacatus?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Lacatus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Lacatus?
Lacatus ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Lacatus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Lacatus.
Has Lacatus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lacatus went from 104 recorded bearers to 108. That is an increase of 4 (+3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Lacatus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lacatus, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Black (1.9%). 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 Lacatus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.4% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lacatus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.4%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Black (1.9%). 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 Lacatus (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 Lacatus mean?
A Romanian surname possibly derived from the Romanian word "lacat" meaning lock or padlock. 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 Lacatus (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 common is the surname Lacatus?
If you just want to know how common the surname Lacatus is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.