2000
#7,671
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,000
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.48
Rare Last name
Lamp
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of lamps and lanterns.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,231 Americans carry the last name Lamp. That puts it at #8,557 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 81,010 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lamp 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 Lamp with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.2K
1 in 81,010
Census rank
#8,557
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,690 bearers of the surname Lamp in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8557th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lamp, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lamp
The surname Lamp is of Germanic origin, derived from the Old High German word "lamp" or "lampa," meaning a lamp or a light source. This name likely originated in the region of present-day Germany during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lamp can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the Saxon region of Germany, dating back to the 13th century. In this manuscript, a certain "Henricus Lamp" is mentioned in a legal document from the year 1283.
The Lamp surname is also believed to have connections to various place names throughout Germany, such as Lampenhain, Lampertsham, and Lamperstätten. These place names likely derived from individuals with the surname Lamp who settled in these areas.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named Johannes Lamp (c. 1320-1389) was a respected scholar and theologian at the University of Prague. His writings and teachings on theology and philosophy were highly influential during his time.
Another significant individual with the Lamp surname was Hans Lamp (c. 1460-1516), a German blacksmith and metalworker who is credited with designing and constructing some of the intricate wrought-iron gates and railings found in churches and cathedrals throughout Bavaria.
During the 16th century, a family named Lamp was prominent in the city of Nuremberg, where they were involved in the textile trade. One member of this family, Christoph Lamp (1521-1588), was a successful merchant and served as a councilman in the city.
In the 17th century, a German artist named Jakob Lamp (1633-1701) gained renown for his detailed etchings and engravings depicting landscapes, cityscapes, and architectural subjects.
Another notable figure with the Lamp surname was Johann Lamp (1772-1845), a German composer and organist who contributed to the development of church music during the late Classical and early Romantic periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lamp
Among Census respondents with the surname Lamp, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Lamp 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 Lamp surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 3,407
- Two or more races3.4% · 126
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 85
- Black or African American0.8% · 30
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lamp
Lamp 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
#8,209
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,042
+42 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Down 538 places
2020
#8,557
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,690
-352 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Down 348 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,671 | 4,000 | 1.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,209 | 4,042 | 1.37 | +42 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 538 places |
| 2020 | #8,557 | 3,690 | 1.23 | -352 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 348 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 Lamp 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 | #8,209 | #8,557 | -4.2% |
| Count | 4,042 | 3,690 | -8.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.37 | 1.23 | -9.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lamp bearers went from 4,042 to 3,690 (-8.7% change). The surname moved down 348 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,209 to #8,557.
FAQ
Lamp surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lamp?
Name Census estimates that about 4,231 living Americans carry the surname Lamp. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 81,010 residents.
How common is Lamp?
Lamp ranks #8,557 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.23 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 3,690 people with the surname Lamp. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,231), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.23 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 Lamp.
Has Lamp become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lamp went from 4,042 recorded bearers to 3,690. That is a decrease of 352 (-8.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,209 to #8,557.
What does the Census say about the background of Lamp?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lamp, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Lamp in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (3,407 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lamp appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Lamp (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 Lamp mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of lamps and lanterns. 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 Lamp (1.23 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 have the surname Lamp?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.