2000
#7,470
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.52
Rare Last name
Lail
Derived from a place name meaning "person from Lile," referring to a town in northern France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,415 Americans carry the last name Lail. That puts it at #8,243 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 77,634 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lail 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
4.4K
1 in 77,634
Census rank
#8,243
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,850 bearers of the surname Lail in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8243rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lail, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lail
The surname LAIL traces its origins to the British Isles, specifically England and Scotland. It is believed to have emerged in the late medieval period, derived from an Old English or Old Norse word meaning "little" or "small."
One of the earliest documented references to the LAIL surname dates back to the 13th century in Yorkshire, England. The name appears in records as "de Lail," suggesting it may have initially been a locational surname derived from a place name. However, the specific place of origin remains unclear.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the LAIL surname gained prominence in various parts of England and Scotland. Notable individuals from this period include John Lail (1542-1612), a merchant from London, and Robert Lail (1603-1678), a Scottish landowner and politician from Ayrshire.
In the 18th century, the LAIL surname spread to other regions, including Ireland and the American colonies. One notable figure was William Lail (1725-1798), an Irish-born military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Virginia.
As the centuries progressed, the LAIL surname underwent various spelling variations, such as Lale, Layle, and Laile. These variations were likely influenced by regional dialects and phonetic spellings.
In the 19th century, the LAIL surname gained further recognition with individuals like Mary Ann Lail (1815-1892), a British author and poet, and James Lail (1845-1923), a prominent businessman and philanthropist from Chicago, Illinois.
Throughout its history, the LAIL surname has been associated with a diverse range of professions and backgrounds, from merchants and landowners to authors and military personnel. While not a particularly common surname, it has maintained a presence across various regions, reflecting the mobility and adaptability of its bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lail
Among Census respondents with the surname Lail, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Lail 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 Lail surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 3,476
- Two or more races3.2% · 125
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 99
- Black or African American2.0% · 78
- Hispanic or Latino1.6% · 62
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lail
Lail 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
#7,714
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,304
+193 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 1.46
Rank movement Down 244 places
2020
#8,243
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,850
-454 bearers (-10.5%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Down 529 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,470 | 4,111 | 1.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,714 | 4,304 | 1.46 | +193 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 244 places |
| 2020 | #8,243 | 3,850 | 1.29 | -454 bearers (-10.5%) | Down 529 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 Lail 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 | #7,714 | #8,243 | -6.9% |
| Count | 4,304 | 3,850 | -10.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.46 | 1.29 | -11.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lail bearers went from 4,304 to 3,850 (-10.5% change). The surname moved down 529 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,714 to #8,243.
FAQ
Lail surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lail?
Name Census estimates that about 4,415 living Americans carry the surname Lail. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 77,634 residents.
How common is Lail?
Lail ranks #8,243 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.29 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,850 people with the surname Lail. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,415), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.29 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Lail.
Has Lail become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lail went from 4,304 recorded bearers to 3,850. That is a decrease of 454 (-10.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,714 to #8,243.
What does the Census say about the background of Lail?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lail, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%). 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 Lail in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (3,476 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lail appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%). 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 Lail (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 Lail mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "person from Lile," referring to a town in northern France. 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 Lail (1.29 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 share the surname Lail?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.