2000
#10,707
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,739
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.02
Rare Last name
Lack
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning a small stream or brook, or a meadow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,808 Americans carry the last name Lack. That puts it at #12,151 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 122,064 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lack 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 Lack with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 122,064
Census rank
#12,151
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,449 bearers of the surname Lack in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12151st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lack, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lack
Among Census respondents with the surname Lack, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Lack 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 Lack surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 2,161
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 112
- Two or more races4.5% · 110
- Black or African American1.1% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lack
Lack 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
#11,778
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,661
-78 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 1,071 places
2020
#12,151
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,449
-212 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 373 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,707 | 2,739 | 1.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,778 | 2,661 | 0.90 | -78 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 1,071 places |
| 2020 | #12,151 | 2,449 | 0.82 | -212 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 373 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 Lack 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 | #11,778 | #12,151 | -3.2% |
| Count | 2,661 | 2,449 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.82 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lack bearers went from 2,661 to 2,449 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 373 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,778 to #12,151.
FAQ
Lack surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lack?
Name Census estimates that about 2,808 living Americans carry the surname Lack. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 122,064 residents.
How common is Lack?
Lack ranks #12,151 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,449 people with the surname Lack. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,808), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Lack.
Has Lack become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lack went from 2,661 recorded bearers to 2,449. That is a decrease of 212 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,778 to #12,151.
What does the Census say about the background of Lack?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lack, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Lack in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (2,161 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lack appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Lack (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 Lack mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning a small stream or brook, or a meadow. 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 Lack (0.82 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 Lack?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Lack, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.