2000
#5,478
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,836
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.16
Rare Last name
Laing
A Scottish locational surname derived from a place of the same name meaning "long".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,213 Americans carry the last name Laing. That puts it at #5,349 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,519 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Laing 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 Laing with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.2K
1 in 47,519
Census rank
#5,349
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,290 bearers of the surname Laing in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5349th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Laing, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.6%. The next largest groups are Black (19.3%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Laing
The surname Laing originated in Scotland, emerging in the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old Norse word "lang," meaning "long" or "tall." The surname was likely given as a descriptive name to someone of notable height or stature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Laing name is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which listed those who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. The rolls mention Johannes de Lange, a resident of Berwickshire.
The Laing name appears in various historical records throughout the centuries, including the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in the 14th century, where it is spelled "Layng" and "Laynge."
In the 16th century, the Laing family held lands in Fife and Angus, and the name is associated with several notable individuals from that period. One of them was David Laing (1793-1878), a renowned Scottish antiquarian and librarian who made significant contributions to the preservation of Scotland's literary heritage.
Another notable bearer of the Laing surname was Samuel Laing (1780-1868), a British traveler and author who wrote extensively about his journeys in Norway and Sweden. His works provided valuable insights into the culture and history of those regions.
The Laing name is also associated with Malcolm Laing (1762-1818), a Scottish historian and author who wrote extensively on the history of Scotland, including a critical examination of the life and reign of Mary, Queen of Scots.
In the 19th century, the Laing family had a presence in England as well. One of the most prominent figures was Samuel Laing (1812-1897), a British politician and railway entrepreneur who served as the Chairman of the London, Brighton, and South Coast Railway.
The Laing surname has also been carried by several notable individuals in more recent times, such as R.D. Laing (1927-1989), a influential Scottish psychiatrist and author, and Norman Laing (1936-2019), a British artist and sculptor known for his large-scale public artworks.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Laing
Among Census respondents with the surname Laing, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.6%. The next largest groups are Black (19.3%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Laing 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 Laing surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.6% · 4,440
- Black or African American19.3% · 1,213
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 280
- Two or more races3.7% · 235
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 117
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Laing
Laing 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
#5,383
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,465
+629 bearers (+10.8%)
Per 100,000 2.19
Rank movement Up 95 places
2020
#5,349
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,290
-175 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 2.10
Rank movement Up 34 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,478 | 5,836 | 2.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,383 | 6,465 | 2.19 | +629 bearers (+10.8%) | Up 95 places |
| 2020 | #5,349 | 6,290 | 2.10 | -175 bearers (-2.7%) | Up 34 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 Laing 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 | #5,383 | #5,349 | 0.6% |
| Count | 6,465 | 6,290 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.19 | 2.10 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Laing bearers went from 6,465 to 6,290 (-2.7% change). The surname moved up 34 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,383 to #5,349.
FAQ
Laing surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Laing?
Name Census estimates that about 7,213 living Americans carry the surname Laing. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,519 residents.
How common is Laing?
Laing ranks #5,349 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.10 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 6,290 people with the surname Laing. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,213), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.10 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 Laing.
Has Laing become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Laing went from 6,465 recorded bearers to 6,290. That is a decrease of 175 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,383 to #5,349.
What does the Census say about the background of Laing?
Among Census respondents with the surname Laing, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.6%. The next largest groups are Black (19.3%) and Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Laing in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.6% (4,440 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Laing appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.6%), Black (19.3%), Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Laing (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 Laing mean?
A Scottish locational surname derived from a place of the same name meaning "long". 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 Laing (2.10 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 last name Laing?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Laing at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.