Find out how popular the last name Laffin is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Laffin.
Scottish surname derived from the medieval French personal name Lefèvre (the blacksmith).
Laffin, 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 Laffin surname is from the 2010 census data.
Laffin is the 27277th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Laffin surname appeared 886 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 Laffin.
We can also compare 2010 data for Laffin 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.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
Rank | 27277 | 26614 | 2.46% |
Count | 886 | 861 | 2.86% |
Proportion per 100k | 0.30 | 0.32 | -6.45% |
The surname Laffin is believed to have originated in England and Ireland during the medieval period. It is a toponymic name, derived from the Old English word "hlaf," meaning "bread" or "loaf," indicating that the original bearer may have been a baker or lived near a bakery.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Laffin can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Lafin." This suggests that the name was already in use in England during the 11th century.
In Ireland, the surname Laffin is thought to have originated as a variant of the Irish Gaelic name "Ó Laimhín," which means "descendant of Laimhín." Laimhín was a personal name derived from the Irish word "lámh," meaning "hand" or "skilled worker."
During the 13th century, the name Laffin was recorded in various forms, including "Lafyn," "Laffyn," and "Laffyne." These variations likely emerged due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in spelling during that era.
One notable individual with the surname Laffin was John Laffin (c. 1455-1530), an English merchant and alderman of London. He served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1510 and was involved in the construction of several public works projects.
Another prominent figure was Robert Laffin (1622-1679), an English clergyman and author. He was the rector of Dunchurch in Warwickshire and wrote several religious works, including "The Touchstone of Truth" and "The Christian's Charter."
In Ireland, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name Laffin is found in the Annals of the Four Masters, which mention a "Diarmaid Ó Laimhín" in the year 1376.
During the 17th century, a notable individual with the surname Laffin was Pádraig Laffin (1640-1707), an Irish Jacobite soldier who fought in the Williamite War in Ireland. He was known for his bravery and loyalty to the Jacobite cause.
In the 19th century, Edward Laffin (1825-1899) was a notable American architect who designed several prominent buildings in New York City, including the American Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Opera House.
These examples illustrate the long and diverse history of the surname Laffin, which has its origins in both England and Ireland and has been associated with individuals from various walks of life over the centuries.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Laffin.
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:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Laffin was:
Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
---|---|---|
Non-Hispanic White Only | 90.18% | 799 |
Non-Hispanic Black Only | (S)% | (S) |
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | (S)% | (S) |
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | 5.64% | 50 |
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | 2.14% | 19 |
Hispanic Origin | 0.90% | 8 |
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 Laffin has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
White | 90.18% | 91.06% | -0.97% |
Black | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
Asian and Pacific Islander | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
American Indian and Alaskan Native | 5.64% | 5.92% | -4.84% |
Two or More Races | 2.14% | 1.63% | 27.06% |
Hispanic | 0.90% | 0.93% | -3.28% |
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 Laffin was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
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<a href="http://namecensus.com/last-names/laffin-surname-popularity/">Laffin last name popularity, history, and meaning</a>
"Laffin last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on May 5, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/laffin-surname-popularity/.
"Laffin last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/laffin-surname-popularity/. Accessed 5 May, 2025
Laffin last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/laffin-surname-popularity/.
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