2000
#1,467
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,250
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.25
Uncommon Last name
Lacy
Derived from the Old French word "lacier" meaning "to entwine or lace," likely referring to a lace-maker or seller.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 25,236 Americans carry the last name Lacy. That puts it at #1,591 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,582 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lacy 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 Lacy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
25K
1 in 13,582
Census rank
#1,591
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
22K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 22,007 bearers of the surname Lacy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1591st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lacy, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.5%. The next largest groups are Black (29.5%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lacy
The surname Lacy has its roots in the Old French word "lascier" or "lacier", which means to lace or tie. It originated in Normandy, France, and was likely an occupational surname given to those who made or sold laces or ribbons.
The name first appeared in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. It is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Laci" and "Lacea". The earliest recorded instances were in Lincolnshire and Oxfordshire, where some of the first bearers of the name were landed gentry and noblemen.
One of the earliest and most prominent bearers of the Lacy surname was Ilbert de Lacy, a Norman nobleman who arrived in England with William the Conqueror. He was granted extensive lands in Yorkshire and became the Lord of Pontefract Castle.
Another notable figure was Walter de Lacy, who lived in the late 12th century and was the Lord of Meath in Ireland. He was granted lands in County Westmeath and established the town of Trim.
In the 13th century, Edmund de Lacy was a wealthy English nobleman and a member of the powerful Lacy family. He served as the High Sheriff of Yorkshire and held several other important positions.
During the 14th century, Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, was a prominent figure in English history. He was a close advisor to King Edward II and played a significant role in the events leading up to the King's deposition.
In the 15th century, John Lacy was a renowned English composer and musician who served at the court of King Henry VII. He is credited with writing some of the earliest known keyboard music in England.
The surname Lacy has also been associated with several place names, such as Lacy's Court in Buckinghamshire and Lacy Green in Cheshire, reflecting the influence and landholdings of various Lacy families throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lacy
Among Census respondents with the surname Lacy, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.5%. The next largest groups are Black (29.5%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Lacy 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 Lacy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White60.5% · 13,324
- Black or African American29.5% · 6,501
- Two or more races4.8% · 1,067
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 819
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 165
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 131
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lacy
Lacy 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
#1,559
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,110
+860 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 7.83
Rank movement Down 92 places
2020
#1,591
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,007
-1,103 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 7.36
Rank movement Down 32 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,467 | 22,250 | 8.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,559 | 23,110 | 7.83 | +860 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 92 places |
| 2020 | #1,591 | 22,007 | 7.36 | -1,103 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 32 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 Lacy 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 | #1,559 | #1,591 | -2.1% |
| Count | 23,110 | 22,007 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 7.83 | 7.36 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lacy bearers went from 23,110 to 22,007 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 32 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,559 to #1,591.
FAQ
Lacy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lacy?
Name Census estimates that about 25,236 living Americans carry the surname Lacy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,582 residents.
How common is Lacy?
Lacy ranks #1,591 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.36 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 22,007 people with the surname Lacy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (25,236), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.36 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Lacy.
Has Lacy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lacy went from 23,110 recorded bearers to 22,007. That is a decrease of 1,103 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,559 to #1,591.
What does the Census say about the background of Lacy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lacy, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.5%. The next largest groups are Black (29.5%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Lacy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.5% (13,324 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lacy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (60.5%), Black (29.5%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Lacy (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 Lacy mean?
Derived from the Old French word "lacier" meaning "to entwine or lace," likely referring to a lace-maker or seller. 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 Lacy (7.36 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 common is the surname Lacy?
If you just want to know how common the surname Lacy is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.