Find out how popular the last name Lair is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Lair.

Lair, 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 Lair surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lair in America

Lair is the 8425th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lair surname appeared 3,923 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Lair.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lair 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.

The history of the last name Lair

The surname Lair originates from France and is believed to have derived from the Old French word "l'aire," meaning "the threshing floor." This suggests that the name may have been initially assigned to someone who lived near or worked at a threshing floor.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Lair can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of France, such as Normandy and Brittany. Some of the earliest spellings included Layre, Laire, and L'aire.

In the late 13th century, a record from the Abbey of Saint-Évroult in Normandy mentions a certain Geoffroy Lair, who was a landowner in the area. Additionally, a 14th-century document from the Duchy of Brittany refers to a noble family named Lair, indicating the name's association with the aristocracy.

One notable historical figure bearing the surname Lair was Jean Lair (c. 1598-1670), a French mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics. He was born in Normandy and played a crucial role in the development of astronomical instruments during the scientific revolution.

Another prominent individual with the surname Lair was Pierre-Aimé Lair (1795-1851), a French historian and author who wrote extensively on the history of Normandy and the French Revolution. His most famous work, "Histoire de la Révolution Française," published in 1835, is considered a seminal text on the subject.

In the 19th century, the name Lair was also associated with a family of French artists and sculptors. Victor Lair (1828-1898), a distinguished sculptor from Paris, created several notable works, including the statue of Napoleon III that stood in the Tuileries Garden.

Another significant figure was Adolphe Lair (1835-1904), a French historian and archivist who specialized in the study of medieval manuscripts and documents. He served as the Director of the National Archives in Paris and made significant contributions to the preservation of historical records.

It is worth noting that the surname Lair has also been associated with various place names in France, such as Lair, a commune in the Meuse department, and Laire, a commune in the Doubs department. These place names likely influenced the spelling and spread of the surname throughout the country.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lair

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Lair.

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:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Lair was:

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 Lair has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

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 Lair was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Lair, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!