Find out how popular the last name Lacher is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Lacher.

Lacher, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Lacher surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lacher in America

Lacher is the 16475th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lacher surname appeared 1,744 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Lacher.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lacher to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Lacher

The surname Lacher originated in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Middle High German word "lachen," meaning "to laugh." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive surname to someone with a cheerful or jovial demeanor.

One of the earliest documented references to the Lacher name can be found in the records of the city of Ulm, located in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In 1532, a man named Hans Lacher was listed as a resident of the city. There are also records from the same time period mentioning individuals with the similar spellings of "Lacher" and "Lachner" in various regions of southern Germany.

The Lacher name appears to have been particularly prevalent in the areas around the Black Forest region of southwestern Germany. In the 17th century, there are records of families with the Lacher surname in the towns of Freiburg and Offenburg, both located near the Black Forest.

One notable historical figure with the Lacher surname was Johann Lacher (1470-1542), a German priest and theologian who was involved in the Reformation movement. He was born in the town of Brackenheim and later served as a preacher in the city of Heilbronn.

Another individual of note was Georg Lacher (1563-1640), a German composer and organist who lived and worked in the city of Stuttgart. He is known for his contributions to the development of Protestant church music during the early Baroque period.

In the 18th century, a man named Johann Michael Lacher (1705-1783) gained recognition as a successful merchant and businessman in the city of Nuremberg. He was involved in the trade of textiles and helped establish the city as a center of the textile industry.

Moving into the 19th century, one can find references to a German-American named Carl Lacher (1831-1904), who emigrated to the United States and became a prominent lawyer and judge in the state of Illinois.

Throughout the centuries, the Lacher surname has also been associated with various places in Germany, such as the villages of Lacherhof and Lachern, which may have derived their names from early Lacher families residing in those areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lacher

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Lacher.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Lacher was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Lacher has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Lacher was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Lacher, please contact us.

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