2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Lamph
A surname derived from a Germanic personal name meaning "bright" or "shining".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Lamph. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lamph 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Lamph in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lamph, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lamph
The surname Lamph is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from a place name that no longer exists or has been lost to history. Many surnames of this type emerged during the 12th and 13th centuries as families began to acquire hereditary surnames.
One theory suggests that the name Lamph may be derived from the Old English word "lamp" or "lampe," meaning a lamp or a light source. It is possible that the surname was initially given as a nickname to someone who lived near a prominent lamp or worked as a lamp-maker or light-keeper.
Another possibility is that the name Lamph is a variation of the word "lamb," which could indicate a connection to sheep farming or a location where lambs were raised. Some early spellings of the name, such as "Lambe" or "Lambhe," lend credence to this theory.
The earliest recorded instance of the Lamph surname appears in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were administrative records compiled during the reign of King Edward I. In these rolls, a man named William Lamph is mentioned as a resident of Shropshire.
In the 14th century, the name Lamph is found in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire from 1379, where a John Lamph is listed as a taxpayer. This suggests that the name had spread from its initial origins to other parts of England by this time.
One notable historical figure bearing the Lamph surname was Sir John Lamph, a prominent landowner and military commander who lived during the 15th century. He served under King Henry V and fought in the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, where he distinguished himself in the English victory over the French.
Another individual of note was Robert Lamph, born in 1567 in Lincolnshire. He was a successful merchant and served as a alderman in the city of London. His legacy includes the establishment of a charitable foundation that provided education and support for underprivileged children.
In the 17th century, the Lamph surname appears in parish records from various counties in England, including Sussex, Norfolk, and Gloucestershire, indicating its continued presence and spread throughout the country.
One intriguing reference comes from the diary of Samuel Pepys, the famous 17th-century diarist and naval administrator. In an entry dated 1662, Pepys mentions a "Mr. Lamph," who was likely a contemporary of his, though little else is known about this individual.
As the centuries progressed, the Lamph surname continued to be found in various regions of England, with some branches of the family eventually migrating to other parts of the world, including the Americas and other British colonies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lamph
Among Census respondents with the surname Lamph, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Lamph 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 Lamph surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 111
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lamph
Lamph 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
+18 bearers (+16.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,107 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-6 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,076 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | +18 bearers (+16.8%) | Up 8,107 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 8,076 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 Lamph 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 | #134,712 | #142,788 | -6.0% |
| Count | 125 | 119 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lamph bearers went from 125 to 119 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 8,076 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #142,788.
FAQ
Lamph surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lamph?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Lamph. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Lamph?
Lamph ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 119 people with the surname Lamph. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Lamph.
Has Lamph become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lamph went from 125 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 6 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Lamph?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lamph, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%). 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 Lamph in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lamph appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Hispanic (5.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%). 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 Lamph (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 Lamph mean?
A surname derived from a Germanic personal name meaning "bright" or "shining". 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 Lamph (0.04 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 Lamph?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.