2000
#19,695
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,266
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.47
Rare Last name
Lall
A surname indicating someone short in stature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,174 Americans carry the last name Lall. That puts it at #14,966 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 157,661 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lall 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 Lall with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 157,661
Census rank
#14,966
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,896 bearers of the surname Lall in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14966th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lall, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 49.3%. The next largest groups are Black (16.8%) and White (14.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lall
The surname Lall has its origins in the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the northern regions of India and Pakistan. It is believed to have derived from the Sanskrit word "lala," which means "beloved" or "dear." The name can be traced back to the medieval period, around the 12th to 15th centuries.
One of the earliest known references to the name Lall can be found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century administrative document compiled during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. This document mentions several individuals with the surname Lall who held important positions in the Mughal court.
In the 17th century, a prominent figure named Lall Khan served as the governor of Multan, a city in present-day Pakistan, under the Mughal Empire. He was known for his administrative skills and his contributions to the development of the region.
During the 18th century, the name Lall was associated with several influential families in the northern Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. One notable individual was Raja Lall Singh (1734-1784), a ruler of the princely state of Bharatpur, who played a significant role in the political affairs of the region.
In the 19th century, Lall Khan (1819-1856) was a renowned poet and writer from Lahore, now in Pakistan. He was widely celebrated for his contribution to Punjabi literature and his works, which reflected the cultural and social aspects of his time.
Another notable figure was Sir Lall Mohun Ghose (1848-1909), a prominent lawyer and judge from Bengal, who became the first Indian to be appointed as a member of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London.
As the Lall surname spread across the Indian subcontinent, it evolved into various spellings and variations, such as Lal, Lalla, and Lalla. Some of these variations were influenced by local dialects and languages, while others were adaptations made during the migration of families to different regions.
Throughout history, the surname Lall has been associated with individuals from diverse backgrounds, including scholars, artists, warriors, and political leaders. Despite its origins in the Indian subcontinent, the name has gained recognition globally, reflecting the rich cultural heritage and diversity of the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lall
Among Census respondents with the surname Lall, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 49.3%. The next largest groups are Black (16.8%) and White (14.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Lall 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 Lall surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander49.3% · 935
- Black or African American16.8% · 319
- White14.5% · 275
- Two or more races11.6% · 219
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 95
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.8% · 53
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lall
Lall 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
#17,839
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,568
+302 bearers (+23.9%)
Per 100,000 0.53
Rank movement Up 1,856 places
2020
#14,966
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,896
+328 bearers (+20.9%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Up 2,873 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,695 | 1,266 | 0.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,839 | 1,568 | 0.53 | +302 bearers (+23.9%) | Up 1,856 places |
| 2020 | #14,966 | 1,896 | 0.63 | +328 bearers (+20.9%) | Up 2,873 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 Lall 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 | #17,839 | #14,966 | 16.1% |
| Count | 1,568 | 1,896 | 20.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.53 | 0.63 | 19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lall bearers went from 1,568 to 1,896 (+20.9% change). The surname moved up 2,873 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,839 to #14,966.
FAQ
Lall surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lall?
Name Census estimates that about 2,174 living Americans carry the surname Lall. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 157,661 residents.
How common is Lall?
Lall ranks #14,966 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,896 people with the surname Lall. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,174), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Lall.
Has Lall become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lall went from 1,568 recorded bearers to 1,896. That is an increase of 328 (+20.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #17,839 to #14,966.
What does the Census say about the background of Lall?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lall, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 49.3%. The next largest groups are Black (16.8%) and White (14.5%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lall in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.3% (935 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lall appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (49.3%), Black (16.8%), White (14.5%). 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 Lall (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 Lall mean?
A surname indicating someone short in stature. 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 Lall (0.63 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 are called Lall?
Want to know how many people have the last name Lall? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.