2000
#31,126
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 705
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.26
Rare Last name
Lambson
A surname referring to a lamb herder or shepherd of lambs.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,081 Americans carry the last name Lambson. That puts it at #27,133 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 317,072 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lambson 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.
Bearers in the US
1.1K
1 in 317,072
Census rank
#27,133
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
943
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 943 bearers of the surname Lambson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 27133rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lambson, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lambson
The surname Lambson has its origins in England and is derived from the Old English words "lamb" and "sunu," which together mean "son of the lamb-keeper." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname were likely individuals who worked as shepherds or were responsible for tending to lambs.
The name Lambson can be traced back to the 12th century, with records showing its presence in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire. One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname appears in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where a person named Robert Lambson is mentioned.
In the Domesday Book, a historical record compiled in 1086 by order of King William the Conqueror, there are references to several places with names related to lambs, such as Lambourne and Lambcote. While the surname Lambson itself is not directly mentioned, these place names indicate the presence of lamb-related occupations in the region during that time period.
Over the centuries, the surname Lambson has been subject to various spelling variations, including Lamson, Lambsonne, and Lambeson. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects, phonetic spellings, and scribal errors in record-keeping.
One notable person with the surname Lambson was John Lambson, a 16th-century English clergyman and author. He was born in 1538 and is known for his work titled "A Treatise of the Church," published in 1588.
Another individual with this surname was William Lambson, a 17th-century English mathematician and astronomer. He was born in 1635 and made contributions to the field of celestial mechanics, publishing works on the motions of planets and comets.
In the 18th century, there was a Samuel Lambson, a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Bristol, England. Records from that time period indicate his involvement in trade and business ventures.
Moving into the 19th century, Joseph Lambson was a notable architect and builder who worked in the city of London. He designed and constructed several churches and public buildings during the Victorian era.
One of the more recent historical figures with the surname Lambson was Charles Lambson, an English artist who lived from 1876 to 1960. He was known for his landscape paintings and depictions of rural life in the English countryside.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lambson
Among Census respondents with the surname Lambson, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Lambson 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 Lambson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.8% · 781
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 64
- Two or more races5.4% · 51
- Black or African American3.6% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lambson
Lambson 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
#26,932
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 901
+196 bearers (+27.8%)
Per 100,000 0.31
Rank movement Up 4,194 places
2020
#27,133
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 943
+42 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.32
Rank movement Down 201 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #31,126 | 705 | 0.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #26,932 | 901 | 0.31 | +196 bearers (+27.8%) | Up 4,194 places |
| 2020 | #27,133 | 943 | 0.32 | +42 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 201 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 Lambson 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 | #26,932 | #27,133 | -0.7% |
| Count | 901 | 943 | 4.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.31 | 0.32 | 1.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lambson bearers went from 901 to 943 (+4.7% change). The surname moved down 201 positions in the national ranking, going from #26,932 to #27,133.
FAQ
Lambson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lambson?
Name Census estimates that about 1,081 living Americans carry the surname Lambson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 317,072 residents.
How common is Lambson?
Lambson ranks #27,133 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.32 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 943 people with the surname Lambson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,081), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.32 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Lambson.
Has Lambson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lambson went from 901 recorded bearers to 943. That is an increase of 42 (+4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #26,932 to #27,133.
What does the Census say about the background of Lambson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lambson, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Lambson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.8% (781 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lambson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.8%), Hispanic (6.8%), Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Lambson (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 Lambson mean?
A surname referring to a lamb herder or shepherd of lambs. 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 Lambson (0.32 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 Lambson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.