2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Lachnit
A German surname derived from the word "Lachner," referring to someone from the town of Lachen.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 110 Americans carry the last name Lachnit. That puts it at #156,540 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,115,949 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lachnit 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
110
1 in 3,115,949
Census rank
#156,540
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
96
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 96 bearers of the surname Lachnit in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156540th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lachnit, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lachnit
The surname Lachnit is believed to have originated in Germany, with its earliest known records dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the German word "Lache," which means a small pool or puddle, suggesting that the name may have referred to someone who lived near such a body of water.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name Lachnit can be found in the records of the town of Görlitz, located in the eastern part of Germany near the Polish border. These records, dating back to the mid-1500s, mention several individuals with the surname Lachnit who were involved in various trades and professions within the town.
The name Lachnit is also believed to have been present in other regions of Germany during this time period, although the exact locations are not as well documented. It is possible that the name may have originated from a specific place name or geographic feature that has since been lost to history.
Throughout the centuries, the surname Lachnit has been subject to various spellings and variations, such as Lachnet, Lachnitz, and Lachnitze. These variations often arose due to regional dialects, transcription errors, or personal preferences.
While the Lachnit surname may not have been associated with any particularly famous individuals in its early history, it is worth noting a few notable people who have carried this name in more recent times. One such individual was Johann Lachnit (1807-1878), a German composer and organist who was active in the 19th century.
Another notable figure was Erich Lachnit (1891-1967), a German writer and educator who was known for his works on pedagogy and education reform. He was born in the city of Breslau, which is now part of modern-day Poland.
In the 20th century, there was also a German footballer named Heinz Lachnit (1920-2001) who played as a defender for several clubs in the German league system during the 1940s and 1950s.
Moving across the Atlantic, one can find examples of individuals with the Lachnit surname in North America as well. For instance, there was a Canadian architect named Ernest Lachnit (1889-1976) who was responsible for designing several notable buildings in the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Finally, it is worth mentioning Günther Lachnit (1921-2008), a German-born mathematician who spent much of his career working in the United States. He made significant contributions to the field of functional analysis and was a professor at the University of Maryland for many years.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lachnit
Among Census respondents with the surname Lachnit, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Lachnit 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 Lachnit surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.3% · 78
- Hispanic or Latino16.7% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lachnit
Lachnit 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,720 places
2020
#156,540
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 96
-11 bearers (-10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 3,912 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 7,720 places |
| 2020 | #156,540 | 96 | 0.03 | -11 bearers (-10.3%) | Down 3,912 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 Lachnit 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 | #152,628 | #156,540 | -2.6% |
| Count | 107 | 96 | -10.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lachnit bearers went from 107 to 96 (-10.3% change). The surname moved down 3,912 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #156,540.
FAQ
Lachnit surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lachnit?
Name Census estimates that about 110 living Americans carry the surname Lachnit. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,115,949 residents.
How common is Lachnit?
Lachnit ranks #156,540 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 96 people with the surname Lachnit. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (110), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Lachnit.
Has Lachnit become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lachnit went from 107 recorded bearers to 96. That is a decrease of 11 (-10.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #152,628 to #156,540.
What does the Census say about the background of Lachnit?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lachnit, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Lachnit in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.3% (78 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lachnit appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.3%), Hispanic (16.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Lachnit (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 Lachnit mean?
A German surname derived from the word "Lachner," referring to someone from the town of Lachen. 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 Lachnit (0.03 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 Lachnit?
Find out how common the surname Lachnit is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.