2000
#7,858
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,906
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.45
Rare Last name
Laguna
A Spanish toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a lagoon, lake, or pond.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,019 Americans carry the last name Laguna. That puts it at #6,249 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 56,945 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Laguna 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.
Bearers in the US
6.0K
1 in 56,945
Census rank
#6,249
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,249 bearers of the surname Laguna in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6249th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Laguna, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.1%. The next largest groups are White (8.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Laguna
The surname Laguna has its origins in Spain, with records dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "laguna," which means "lagoon" or "pond." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who lived near or had some connection to a lagoon or body of water.
During the Middle Ages, surnames often originated from geographic locations, professions, or physical characteristics. In the case of Laguna, it is likely that the name was initially used to identify someone who lived near a lagoon or a body of water, perhaps in a coastal region or an area with many lakes or ponds.
The earliest known record of the surname Laguna can be found in the "Libro de Repartimiento," a document from the 13th century that recorded the distribution of land and properties in the Kingdom of Valencia after the Reconquista. This document mentions several individuals with the surname Laguna, indicating that the name was already in use by that time.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Laguna was Pedro de Laguna, a Spanish nobleman and military leader who lived in the 14th century. He played a significant role in the Reconquista, the centuries-long campaign to reclaim the Iberian Peninsula from Moorish rule.
Another notable figure was Andrés de Laguna, a renowned physician and humanist scholar who lived in the 16th century (1499-1559). He was born in Segovia, Spain, and gained recognition for his translations and commentaries on the works of ancient Greek and Roman medical writers, including Dioscorides and Galen.
In the 17th century, Diego de Laguna (1567-1628) was a Spanish playwright and poet known for his contributions to the Golden Age of Spanish literature. He was born in Seville and wrote several plays, including comedies and tragedies.
Moving forward to the 19th century, Manuel Laguna y Villanueva (1828-1902) was a Spanish politician and lawyer who served as the Minister of Justice in Spain during the reign of King Alfonso XII.
In more recent times, Manuel Laguna Villanueva (1895-1982) was a prominent Spanish painter and sculptor known for his works depicting scenes of rural life in Spain. He was born in Seville and is considered one of the most important artists of the Andalusian regionalist movement.
These are just a few examples of individuals with the surname Laguna who have left their mark throughout history. The name's origins can be traced back to medieval Spain, where it likely referred to individuals living near or associated with a lagoon or body of water.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Laguna
Among Census respondents with the surname Laguna, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.1%. The next largest groups are White (8.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Laguna 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 Laguna surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino87.1% · 4,574
- White8.5% · 447
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 154
- Two or more races0.6% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 26
- Black or African American0.3% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Laguna
Laguna 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
#6,088
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,633
+1,727 bearers (+44.2%)
Per 100,000 1.91
Rank movement Up 1,770 places
2020
#6,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,249
-384 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 1.76
Rank movement Down 161 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,858 | 3,906 | 1.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,088 | 5,633 | 1.91 | +1,727 bearers (+44.2%) | Up 1,770 places |
| 2020 | #6,249 | 5,249 | 1.76 | -384 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 161 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 Laguna 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 | #6,088 | #6,249 | -2.6% |
| Count | 5,633 | 5,249 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.91 | 1.76 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Laguna bearers went from 5,633 to 5,249 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 161 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,088 to #6,249.
FAQ
Laguna surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Laguna?
Name Census estimates that about 6,019 living Americans carry the surname Laguna. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 56,945 residents.
How common is Laguna?
Laguna ranks #6,249 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,249 people with the surname Laguna. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,019), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Laguna.
Has Laguna become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Laguna went from 5,633 recorded bearers to 5,249. That is a decrease of 384 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,088 to #6,249.
What does the Census say about the background of Laguna?
Among Census respondents with the surname Laguna, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.1%. The next largest groups are White (8.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Laguna in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.1% (4,574 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Laguna appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (87.1%), White (8.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%). 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 Laguna (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 Laguna mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a lagoon, lake, or pond. 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 Laguna (1.76 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 surname Laguna?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.