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

Lack, 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 Lack surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lack in America

Lack is the 11778th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lack surname appeared 2,661 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 Lack.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lack 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 Lack

The surname Lack originated in England in the Middle Ages and is derived from the Old English word "lacu", meaning a stream or brook. It likely referred to someone who lived near a stream or brook. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Lache" and "Lak".

The name was initially concentrated in the counties of Lancashire, Cheshire, and Staffordshire, where many small streams and brooks were present. Over time, variations in spelling emerged, such as Lacke, Lackey, and Laky. The name was also associated with various place names, including Lache in Cheshire and Lak in Lancashire.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Lack was John de Lak, who lived in Lancashire in the 13th century. Another notable figure was Robert Lacy, born around 1438 in Cheshire, who served as a member of the English parliament in the 15th century.

During the 16th century, the name Lack appeared in various historical records, such as parish registers and court documents. In 1564, a William Lack was recorded in the parish records of Eccleston, Lancashire. In the same century, a John Lack was mentioned in the court records of Staffordshire in 1587.

As the name spread across England, it was sometimes anglicized to Lack or Lacke. One notable figure was Thomas Lacke, born in 1624 in Shropshire, who was a prominent landowner and magistrate in the 17th century.

In the 18th century, the name continued to be found in various parts of England. For example, a James Lack was born in 1732 in Gloucestershire and later became a successful merchant in Bristol. Another notable figure was William Lack, born in 1756 in Somerset, who served as a naval officer during the Napoleonic Wars.

While the surname Lack has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, due to migration and immigration patterns over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lack

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

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 Lack 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 Lack 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 Lack was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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