2000
#1,854
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,811
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.60
Uncommon Last name
Lacey
From the Norman French place name "Lacy," derived from the Old French "laz," meaning "lace" or "ribbon of land."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 20,599 Americans carry the last name Lacey. That puts it at #1,960 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,639 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lacey 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 Lacey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
21K
1 in 16,639
Census rank
#1,960
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,963 bearers of the surname Lacey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1960th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lacey, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.7%. The next largest groups are Black (21.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lacey
The surname Lacey is of Anglo-Norman origin, derived from the Old French word "lacee", meaning "lace" or "braid". It is thought to have originated in the late 11th century when the Normans invaded England and brought their language and culture with them.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lacey can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de Laci" or "de Laceio". This suggests that the name was initially a locative surname, referring to someone from a place called Lacy or Laci.
In the 12th century, the Lacey family became prominent landowners in Lincolnshire, England. One notable member was Walter de Lacy, who was granted the lordship of Meath in Ireland by King Henry II in the late 12th century. The Laceys were also associated with the town of Pontefract in Yorkshire, where they held the castle and lands.
By the 13th century, the name had spread across England and had variations in spelling, including Lacy, Lacye, and Lascy. Notable bearers of the name during this period include Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln (1251-1311), and Edmund de Lacy, Bishop of Exeter (c. 1230-1310).
In the 14th century, the Lacey name can be found in various records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "Lacy". Sir John Lacy (c. 1335-1390) was a notable military commander during the Hundred Years' War.
During the 15th century, the Laceys continued to be a prominent family in England, with members such as Thomas Lacy (c. 1370-1455), who was a Member of Parliament for Lincolnshire. The name also appeared in Ireland, where the Lacys had established themselves as Anglo-Norman nobility.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Lacey, including John Lacy (1615-1681), an English actor and playwright; Michael Lacey (1844-1936), a Canadian politician; and John Fletcher Lacey (1824-1913), a U.S. Congressman from Iowa.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lacey
Among Census respondents with the surname Lacey, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.7%. The next largest groups are Black (21.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Lacey 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 Lacey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.7% · 12,346
- Black or African American21.8% · 3,922
- Two or more races4.4% · 798
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 681
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 121
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 95
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lacey
Lacey 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
#1,930
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,691
+880 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 6.34
Rank movement Down 76 places
2020
#1,960
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,963
-728 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 6.01
Rank movement Down 30 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,854 | 17,811 | 6.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,930 | 18,691 | 6.34 | +880 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 76 places |
| 2020 | #1,960 | 17,963 | 6.01 | -728 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 30 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 Lacey 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 | #1,930 | #1,960 | -1.6% |
| Count | 18,691 | 17,963 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 6.34 | 6.01 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lacey bearers went from 18,691 to 17,963 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 30 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,930 to #1,960.
FAQ
Lacey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lacey?
Name Census estimates that about 20,599 living Americans carry the surname Lacey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,639 residents.
How common is Lacey?
Lacey ranks #1,960 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.01 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,963 people with the surname Lacey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (20,599), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.01 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Lacey.
Has Lacey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lacey went from 18,691 recorded bearers to 17,963. That is a decrease of 728 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,930 to #1,960.
What does the Census say about the background of Lacey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lacey, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.7%. The next largest groups are Black (21.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Lacey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.7% (12,346 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lacey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.7%), Black (21.8%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Lacey (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 Lacey mean?
From the Norman French place name "Lacy," derived from the Old French "laz," meaning "lace" or "ribbon of land." 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 Lacey (6.01 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 Americans have the surname Lacey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.