2000
#121,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Lamphiear
A locational surname derived from a place name referring to a bright or splendid hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Lamphiear. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lamphiear 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Lamphiear in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lamphiear, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lamphiear
The surname LAMPHIEAR has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "lamb" and "hyr," which together mean "a person who tended or herded lambs." This occupation-based name likely originated in rural areas where sheep farming was common.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various medieval records, such as the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, which mentions a John Lamhyrd. The Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296 also include an entry for a Willelmus Lambherd.
Variations in spelling were common during this period, with the name appearing as Lambherde, Lamhirde, Lambhird, and Lamphyer in various documents. Some of these variations may have been influenced by local dialects or the preferences of scribes.
One notable historical figure bearing this surname was John Lamphiear, a merchant and alderman who lived in London during the late 16th century. He is mentioned in records from the Court of Aldermen in 1588.
In the 17th century, the name appears in the Protestation Returns of 1641-1642, which recorded those swearing allegiance to the Protestant religion. Entries include Thomas Lamphiear from Staffordshire and Edward Lamphiear from Somerset.
During the English Civil War, a Captain William Lamphiear is recorded as serving in the Parliamentarian forces under Oliver Cromwell. He fought in several battles, including the Battle of Naseby in 1645.
Another notable individual was Robert Lamphiear, a writer and clergyman born in 1765. He authored several religious works and served as the vicar of Norwood in Surrey until his death in 1842.
In the 19th century, the name appears in various records, such as the birth of William Henry Lamphiear in 1825 in Gloucestershire and the marriage of Sarah Lamphiear to John Tanner in 1843 in Warwickshire.
While the name has evolved in spelling over time, its origins can be traced back to the occupation of tending lambs in medieval England. Despite its humble beginnings, the LAMPHIEAR surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lamphiear
Among Census respondents with the surname Lamphiear, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Lamphiear 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 Lamphiear surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 108
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lamphiear
Lamphiear 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
-3 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,321 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-11 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,132 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,058 | 132 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.3%) | Down 10,321 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 12,132 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 Lamphiear 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 | #131,379 | #143,511 | -9.2% |
| Count | 129 | 118 | -8.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lamphiear bearers went from 129 to 118 (-8.5% change). The surname moved down 12,132 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #143,511.
FAQ
Lamphiear surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lamphiear?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Lamphiear. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Lamphiear?
Lamphiear ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Lamphiear. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Lamphiear.
Has Lamphiear become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lamphiear went from 129 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 11 (-8.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Lamphiear?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lamphiear, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lamphiear in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lamphiear appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Lamphiear (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 Lamphiear mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name referring to a bright or splendid hill. 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 Lamphiear (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 common is the surname Lamphiear?
See how many people have the surname Lamphiear on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.