2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Lacis
A Latvian surname possibly derived from the German "Latsch" meaning "wooden sole or clog."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 112 Americans carry the last name Lacis. That puts it at #156,269 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,060,307 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lacis 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
112
1 in 3,060,307
Census rank
#156,269
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
98
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 98 bearers of the surname Lacis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156269th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lacis, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lacis
The surname LACIS originates from Latvia, a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is believed to have emerged in the 13th century when the region was under the control of the Teutonic Knights, a German Catholic military order.
LACIS is derived from the Latvian word "lacis," which means "bear." It is likely that the name was initially given as a nickname or descriptive name to someone with bear-like characteristics or who was associated with bears in some way, such as a hunter or a person with a bearish appearance or demeanor.
The earliest recorded instances of the name LACIS can be found in historical documents from the 14th century, such as the Curonian Chronicles, which document the history of the region during the period of the Teutonic Knights' rule.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname LACIS was Andrejs Lacis, a Latvian politician and writer who lived from 1859 to 1923. He played a prominent role in the Latvian National Awakening movement and the struggle for Latvian independence from the Russian Empire.
Another notable bearer of the name was Vilis Lacis, a Latvian basketball player who represented Latvia in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. He was born in 1904 and died in 1966.
In the 16th century, a family with the surname LACIS is recorded as having lived in the town of Cesis, which was formerly known as Wenden in German. This town was an important center of the Teutonic Knights' rule in the region.
The name LACIS has also been found in historical records from the nearby Baltic region, including Lithuania and Estonia, suggesting that it may have spread from its Latvian origins to neighboring areas.
One notable historical figure with a similar surname is Asja Lacis, a Latvian-born theater director and writer who lived from 1891 to 1979. She was a prominent figure in the avant-garde theater movement and collaborated with renowned playwrights such as Bertolt Brecht.
Throughout its history, the surname LACIS has maintained a strong connection to its Latvian roots and the bear symbolism associated with its meaning, making it a distinctive and culturally significant name in the Baltic region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lacis
Among Census respondents with the surname Lacis, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Lacis 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 Lacis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.0% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lacis
Lacis 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-3 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,013 places
2020
#156,269
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 98
-8 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 2,500 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 13,013 places |
| 2020 | #156,269 | 98 | 0.03 | -8 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 2,500 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 Lacis 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 | #153,769 | #156,269 | -1.6% |
| Count | 106 | 98 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -18.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lacis bearers went from 106 to 98 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 2,500 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #156,269.
FAQ
Lacis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lacis?
Name Census estimates that about 112 living Americans carry the surname Lacis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,060,307 residents.
How common is Lacis?
Lacis ranks #156,269 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 98 people with the surname Lacis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (112), 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 Lacis.
Has Lacis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lacis went from 106 recorded bearers to 98. That is a decrease of 8 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #153,769 to #156,269.
What does the Census say about the background of Lacis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lacis, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (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 Lacis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.0% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lacis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.0%), Hispanic (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 Lacis (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 Lacis mean?
A Latvian surname possibly derived from the German "Latsch" meaning "wooden sole or clog." 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 Lacis (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 Americans have the surname Lacis?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.