2010
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Laidlow
A Scottish habitational surname referring to someone from a low-lying area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Laidlow. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Laidlow 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 Laidlow with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Laidlow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Laidlow, the largest self-reported group is Black at 60.9%. The next largest groups are White (20.9%) and Hispanic (9.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Laidlow
The surname Laidlow has its origins in Scotland, tracing back to the medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name derived from a place called Laidlaw, located in the Scottish Borders region. The placename itself is thought to be derived from the Old English words "læde," meaning a course or stream, and "hlaw," meaning a hill or mound.
One of the earliest recorded references to the surname Laidlow can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical document containing the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "de Ledelawe," which is likely an early spelling variation.
In the 14th century, the name Laidlow appeared in various Scottish records and charters. For instance, John de Laidlaw was mentioned in a charter granted by Robert the Bruce in 1329. This suggests that the Laidlow family held lands and had a presence in Scotland during this period.
Throughout the centuries, the surname Laidlow has been associated with several notable individuals. One such person was William Laidlow (c. 1590-1659), a Scottish minister and religious writer who served as the minister of Dunning Parish in Perthshire.
Another prominent figure was Robert Laidlow (1722-1784), a Scottish architect and surveyor who designed several buildings in Edinburgh, including the Old College of the University of Edinburgh.
In the 19th century, James Laidlow (1815-1896) was a Scottish historian and author who wrote extensively about the history and antiquities of Berwickshire, a county in the Scottish Borders.
The Laidlow surname also has connections to the United States. One example is John Laidlow (1766-1847), a Scottish-born merchant and landowner who immigrated to Virginia in the late 18th century and became a prominent figure in the area.
Lastly, Robert Laidlow (1870-1949) was a Scottish-American engineer and businessman who co-founded the Laidlaw Corporation, a transportation company that operated school buses and other vehicles.
These are just a few examples of individuals with the surname Laidlow who have made significant contributions in various fields throughout history, reflecting the rich heritage and legacy associated with this Scottish surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Laidlow
Among Census respondents with the surname Laidlow, the largest self-reported group is Black at 60.9%. The next largest groups are White (20.9%) and Hispanic (9.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Laidlow 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 Laidlow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American60.9% · 67
- White20.9% · 23
- Hispanic or Latino9.1% · 10
- Two or more races8.2% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Laidlow
Laidlow appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-11 bearers (-9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,142 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-9.1%) | Down 11,142 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 Laidlow 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 | #138,304 | #149,446 | -8.1% |
| Count | 121 | 110 | -9.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Laidlow bearers went from 121 to 110 (-9.1% change). The surname moved down 11,142 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #149,446.
FAQ
Laidlow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Laidlow?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Laidlow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Laidlow?
Laidlow ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 110 people with the surname Laidlow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Laidlow.
Has Laidlow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Laidlow went from 121 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Laidlow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Laidlow, the largest self-reported group is Black at 60.9%. The next largest groups are White (20.9%) and Hispanic (9.1%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Laidlow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.9% (67 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Laidlow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (60.9%), White (20.9%), Hispanic (9.1%). 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 Laidlow (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 Laidlow mean?
A Scottish habitational surname referring to someone from a low-lying area. 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 Laidlow (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Laidlow?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.