2000
#14,737
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,848
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.69
Rare Last name
Lamberth
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "bright clearing" or "lamb's enclosure."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,124 Americans carry the last name Lamberth. That puts it at #15,262 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 161,372 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lamberth 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 Lamberth with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 161,372
Census rank
#15,262
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,852 bearers of the surname Lamberth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15262nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lamberth, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Black (9.7%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lamberth
The surname Lamberth has its origins in England, with records dating back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "lamb" and "hyri," which translates to "a shepherd's dwelling" or "lamb herder's house." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name were likely individuals who lived in or near a place associated with sheep farming or tended flocks of sheep.
One of the earliest documented references to the name Lamberth can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, a historical record of tax payments, from the year 1197. Here, a person named William Lamberth is mentioned, indicating the surname's use during the medieval period.
In the 13th century, variants of the name, such as Lamberd and Lamberde, appear in various records, including the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279. This document lists individuals like William Lamberd and John Lamberd, further solidifying the surname's presence in England during that time.
The Domesday Book, a crucial historical record from 1086, does not contain any direct mentions of the surname Lamberth or its variants. However, it does reference place names like Lamberton and Lambley, which may have influenced the development of the surname over time.
Notable individuals with the surname Lamberth throughout history include:
1. Thomas Lamberth (c. 1545-1600), an English clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Nottingham in the late 16th century.
2. John Lamberth (1615-1690), a prominent English lawyer and Member of Parliament for Malmesbury during the reign of Charles II.
3. William Lamberth (1698-1772), a British military officer who fought in the War of the Austrian Succession and served as the Governor of Newfoundland from 1749 to 1756.
4. Sarah Lamberth (1776-1844), a renowned English writer and poet whose works focused on themes of nature and spirituality.
5. Edward Lamberth (1820-1892), a British entrepreneur and industrialist who founded the Lamberth Engineering Company, a leading manufacturer of industrial machinery in the 19th century.
While the surname Lamberth has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, due to migration and historical events like colonization.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lamberth
Among Census respondents with the surname Lamberth, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Black (9.7%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Lamberth 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 Lamberth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.4% · 1,507
- Black or African American9.7% · 179
- Two or more races4.8% · 88
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 61
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lamberth
Lamberth 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
#10,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,905
+1,057 bearers (+57.2%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Up 3,783 places
2020
#15,262
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,852
-1,053 bearers (-36.2%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 4,308 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,737 | 1,848 | 0.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,954 | 2,905 | 0.98 | +1,057 bearers (+57.2%) | Up 3,783 places |
| 2020 | #15,262 | 1,852 | 0.62 | -1,053 bearers (-36.2%) | Down 4,308 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 Lamberth 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 | #10,954 | #15,262 | -39.3% |
| Count | 2,905 | 1,852 | -36.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 0.62 | -36.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lamberth bearers went from 2,905 to 1,852 (-36.2% change). The surname moved down 4,308 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,954 to #15,262.
FAQ
Lamberth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lamberth?
Name Census estimates that about 2,124 living Americans carry the surname Lamberth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 161,372 residents.
How common is Lamberth?
Lamberth ranks #15,262 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,852 people with the surname Lamberth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Lamberth.
Has Lamberth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lamberth went from 2,905 recorded bearers to 1,852. That is a decrease of 1,053 (-36.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,954 to #15,262.
What does the Census say about the background of Lamberth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lamberth, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Black (9.7%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Lamberth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.4% (1,507 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lamberth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.4%), Black (9.7%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Lamberth (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 Lamberth mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "bright clearing" or "lamb's enclosure." 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 Lamberth (0.62 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 common is the surname Lamberth?
You can see how common the surname Lamberth is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.