2000
#10,389
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,842
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.05
Rare Last name
Lakes
An English toponymic surname derived from a person who lived near a lake or a body of water.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,278 Americans carry the last name Lakes. That puts it at #10,674 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 104,562 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lakes 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 Lakes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 104,562
Census rank
#10,674
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,859 bearers of the surname Lakes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10674th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lakes, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.7%. The next largest groups are Black (32.5%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lakes
The surname Lakes is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "lacu," meaning a small body of water or a pool. It is believed to have originated as a toponymic surname, referring to someone who lived near a lake or a body of water.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Lakes can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named William de Laca in Lincolnshire, England. This early spelling variation, "de Laca," suggests that the name was initially associated with a specific location or geographical feature.
During the Middle Ages, the surname Lakes was prevalent in various regions of England, particularly in the counties of Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Lincolnshire. These areas were known for their numerous lakes and bodies of water, which may have influenced the widespread adoption of the surname.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Lakes was John de Lakesby, who lived in Yorkshire in the 13th century. The name Lakesby is derived from the Old Norse words "lækr" and "by," meaning a small stream and a village, respectively, further reinforcing the connection between the surname and geographical features related to water.
In the 14th century, the surname Lakes appeared in various historical records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire, which listed individuals like Robert del Lakes and William de Lakes. These records provide evidence of the surname's prevalence during that period.
Notable figures throughout history who bore the surname Lakes include Sir Edward Lakes (1600-1676), an English politician and Member of Parliament, and Thomas Lakes (1753-1829), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.
Another individual of note was John Lakes (1624-1689), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works, including "The Fountain of Life Opened" and "The Child's Delight."
In the 19th century, the surname Lakes was carried by individuals such as Henry Lakes (1825-1901), a British engineer and inventor known for his contributions to the development of the steam engine, and William Lakes (1837-1908), a Scottish artist and painter renowned for his landscapes and seascapes.
The surname Lakes continues to be found across various regions of the United Kingdom and other parts of the English-speaking world, reflecting its longstanding history and association with geographic features related to bodies of water.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lakes
Among Census respondents with the surname Lakes, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.7%. The next largest groups are Black (32.5%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Lakes 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 Lakes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White60.7% · 1,735
- Black or African American32.5% · 928
- Two or more races3.9% · 111
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lakes
Lakes 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
#11,152
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,840
-2 bearers (-0.1%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Down 763 places
2020
#10,674
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,859
+19 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Up 478 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,389 | 2,842 | 1.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,152 | 2,840 | 0.96 | -2 bearers (-0.1%) | Down 763 places |
| 2020 | #10,674 | 2,859 | 0.96 | +19 bearers (+0.7%) | Up 478 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 Lakes 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 | #11,152 | #10,674 | 4.3% |
| Count | 2,840 | 2,859 | 0.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.96 | 0.96 | -0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lakes bearers went from 2,840 to 2,859 (+0.7% change). The surname moved up 478 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,152 to #10,674.
FAQ
Lakes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lakes?
Name Census estimates that about 3,278 living Americans carry the surname Lakes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 104,562 residents.
How common is Lakes?
Lakes ranks #10,674 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.96 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 2,859 people with the surname Lakes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,278), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.96 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 Lakes.
Has Lakes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lakes went from 2,840 recorded bearers to 2,859. That is an increase of 19 (+0.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,152 to #10,674.
What does the Census say about the background of Lakes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lakes, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.7%. The next largest groups are Black (32.5%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lakes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.7% (1,735 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lakes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (60.7%), Black (32.5%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Lakes (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 Lakes mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from a person who lived near a lake or a body of water. 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 Lakes (0.96 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 Lakes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.