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

Lady, 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 Lady surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lady in America

Lady is the 23675th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lady surname appeared 1,070 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Lady.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lady 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 Lady

The surname LADY has its origins in England, where it first emerged during the Middle Ages, sometime around the 11th or 12th century. It was derived from the Old English word "hlǣfdīge," which later became "lafdy" or "levdy" in Middle English. This term referred to a woman of high social standing, particularly one who was the mistress of a household or estate.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname LADY can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and their properties commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a landowner named "Levdi" in the county of Berkshire.

During the 13th century, the surname LADY began to appear more frequently in various historical records, including court rolls, tax records, and manorial documents. It was often associated with individuals who held positions of authority or influence within their local communities.

An early notable bearer of the LADY surname was Sir John Lady, a wealthy merchant and alderman of London who lived in the late 14th century. Another prominent figure was William Lady, a member of the English Parliament who represented the borough of Maldon in Essex during the 15th century.

In the 16th century, the surname LADY was sometimes anglicized to "Ladye" or "Ladie," reflecting the evolving spelling conventions of the time. One example is Thomas Ladie, a landowner and prominent figure in the county of Suffolk, who lived from around 1520 to 1585.

As the centuries progressed, the LADY surname continued to be carried by individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, landowners, clergymen, and military officers. Some notable bearers include Sir John Lady (1633-1701), a successful merchant and member of the East India Company, and Major General John Lady (1681-1756), who served in the British Army during the War of the Spanish Succession and the War of the Austrian Succession.

Throughout its history, the surname LADY has been associated with various place names and locations, particularly in England. For example, the village of Lady's Wood in Gloucestershire is believed to have derived its name from a landowner with the surname LADY who once held property in the area.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lady

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

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

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

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